Sunday, February 28, 2010

Tickets on Sale Tomorrow

Tickets go on sale March 1st! 

Price » $45 in advance/$55 at the door, rain or shine event.
Ticket price includes copious amounts of food, wine and beer, and a drink ticket for the signature cocktail sponsored by Cooranbong Vodka. With live music by Matt Shoaf, Mike Breen and Kiddo & the Condor, caricatures by Deborah Moreno and a can't miss live and silent auction.

Special thanks to our media partner, KC Magazine, our beer sponsor, Boulevard Brewery and our wine sponsors, A. Bommarito, Pinnacle Imports and Premier Cru.


Click here to purchase your tickets now.

Saturday, February 27, 2010

www.kcurbanpicnic.com

The official 2010 Urban Picnic website is up and running. Check it out for event information, a list of participating restaurants, sponsors and entertainment line-up. A huge thank you to Mindy Dunstan for developing the site and making it look fabulous!

The Committee

Introducing the Urban Picnic committee!
Linh Trieu - Event Chair
Lynn Klein - Food & Beverage
Katrin Ellefson - Entertainment
Rachel Feldkamp - Sponsorships & Donations
Rachel Herken - Design
Della January - Entertainment
Rebecca Thao - Space Planning & Decor
Trinh Trieu -  Space Planning & Decor
Anne Sanders - Design
Mindy Dunstan - Website
Elaina Cascone - Social Media



Photos coming soon for...
Greg Morey - Public Relations
Chris Carle - KCO Liaison

Urban Picnic 2008

Just sharing some pictures from past picnics. UP 2008 was hosted by Bar Natasha and all these photos were taken outside in the great, little courtyard at the back of the building. If you have pictures you want to share or show off, send them our way!

Friday, February 26, 2010

Cheers!

re:Verse // photo by Elizabeth Cook
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A new addition to this year's picnic is a cocktail competition spearheaded by Ernesto Peralta of Blanc Burgers+Bottles and sponsored by Cooranbong Vodka. We look forward to seeing and tasting the winning cocktail!

Congratulations!

To Chef Michael Smith (Michael Smith, Extra Virgin) for being a 2010 James Beard Foundation Outstanding Chef Semifinalist. See the complete list of semi-finalists here. For those of you who have not heard of the James Beard Awards, it's a big deal!

Chef Michael Smith, Nancy Smith and Chef Josh Eans
at Blanc's grand opening on the Plaza on Feb. 8, 2010.
photo by Linh Trieu/Fresh Fish Creative
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The Kansas City Originals are proud to have such accomplished chefs and restaurants like Michael represented. Also on the list of greats...

The American Restaurant - Outstanding Restaurant Semifinalist
• Linda Duerr, Zest - Best Chef-Midwest Semifinalist

And a special shout out to Colby Garrelts of bluestem (Best Chef-Midwest Semifinalist). Although bluestem is not an official KCO restaurant, we are still excited to support and congratulate all independent restaurants in Kansas City who help us further our mission.

Thursday, February 25, 2010

Black and White....

...is our official event theme. We're going to transform Nara by bringing the "outdoors in" with wheatgrass accents, budding branches and white flowers. You're going to see black and white graphic elements and we're working on handmade details to keep the event modern and sophisticated but casual. Don't forget, it's still a picnic!

Over the next few weeks, we're going to be sharing ideas that inspire us and little projects we're working on. We're trying to keep our decor budget as small as possible, so reuse, recycle and reinvent is the name of the game. If you have any ideas you'd like to share or see anything you want to make with us, drop us a line. We're happy to have the help.

Rebecca Thao is working like mad recyling bottles
of all sizes and covering them with newsprint.
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Instead of printing signs, all these frames will be painted
a glossy white and backed with wood that will be
covered in chalkboard paint, same with the clipboards.
Cost effective AND charming, right?
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Upstairs, we are going to string fun food and wine
quotes in large cut-out letters across the entire room.
All by hand! Calling all volunteers. :)
photo via katiedid
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KC Magazine Ad

Look for our ad in the April issue of KC Magazine!
Design by Rachel Herken, Anne Sanders and Linh Trieu.
Event logo by Fresh Fish Creative.

Say Cheese

photo via The State

Remember how much fun photo booths were? Four little photos on a strip, of you and your friends goofing off, being crazy and having fun. Well, we are bringing in a photo booth to amuse you this year! Complete with props of course. You'll get two copies and loads of great memories. Plus we'll be uploading all your images on our website after the event so you can see just how "happy" everyone was!

A Picture Drawn

Artist Deborah Moreno will be donating her time, her heart and her limitless talent with us at this year's Urban Picnic. Her caricatures are always a big hit and they're always free. But try and bring cash to leave a tip! She provides all her own materials and every bit helps when you do as many fundraisers as Deborah does.

Read about how Deborah's passion for drawing began after she was in a car accident when she was 12-years-old. And how she has given back to the community for the last twenty years through her talent. It is truly inspiring how much one person can do to change so many lives.

Wednesday, February 17, 2010

Guitarist Mike Breen


Urban Picnic is proud to welcome guitarist Mike Breen to our music line up. A little bit about Mike from his website:

"Currently Mike performs with his own band as well as doing solo performances throughout the country, most recently opening for Jo Dee Messina at the Celebrity Theater and perfomring with Jessie Colter on NPR's Michael Feldman's "Whaddya Know."

Mike also continues to record and produce his own and other artists' music, most recenlty working on Jessi Colter's "Out of the Ashes" and coming music for television and movies includin the made for TV special "Walker, Texas Ranger - Trial by Fire" and A&E Biographies on Bruce Willis, Halle Berry and Will Smith."

Special thanks to committee member Della January for helping us book such a talented musician for our local picnic. You can also listen to samples and purchase his latest album, Mescal Mary, through his website or on itunes.


Matthew Shoaf

Matt Shoaf is an accomplished professional guitarist, vocalist, bassist, teacher, engineer, and producer, born and raised in the KC area. Graduating in 2002 with a B.A. in music from The Conservatory of Music at UMKC, Matt has gone on to work with several local and national acts in a variety of ways.


With a wide repertoire consisting of roots rock, reggae, funk, R&B, blues, soul, jazz, and classical music, you are sure to hear something you like. You can catch him or his band, Gov’t Cheez, all around town any given night of the week, or playing bass with KC’s self proclaimed eighth best Irish band, Flannigan’s Right Hook.  To see where he's currently playing, click here.


Kiddo and the Condor

Urban Picnic is proud to introduce it first band, Kiddo and the Condor! Tyler and Rachel Fracassa formed in May of 2008 and sound like "Elliot Smith, Pedro the Lion and Rilo Kiley." You can hear them on their myspace page by clicking here! Idle Eyes is just beautiful. Thank you Nancy Smith of Extra Virgin for recommending this awesome duo.