Archive for the ‘Events’ Category

Drag Brunch 2018: Trixie Strikes Back

Monday, February 5th, 2018

Drag Brunch 2018

It’s time once again for delicious brunch food, mimosas, drag performers and Match Game! Liz, Dirk and the staff of Gunk Haus in Clintondale invite you to the 2018 Drag Brunch, a fundraiser for Hudson Valley Community Services. Hostess Trixie Starr is sure to sweeten the deal with the always-fun games and spicy banter. Local superstars including JoJo Gerard, Boxxa Vine and Valkyrie Hail will perform classic favorites and pop hits that will get you grooving to music by Superior Sounds. Plus, don your best gender-bending outfit and vie for the Best Audience Member Outfit prize and enter to win great prizes.

Tickets are $30 each and include choice of brunch entree, coffee, tea and juices–plus a donation to HVCS.

Get your tickets today via Eventbrite or Facebook!

Photos from the Hairdressers Ball 2016

Tuesday, August 23rd, 2016

Relive the red carpet glamor and runway magic of the 2016 Hairdressers Ball Charity Hair Show! We had a fantastic time at the Ramada Conference Center in Fishkill on Sunday, August 14th thanks to twelve talented salons, hundreds of volunteers, guests, sponsors, vendors, and musicians! Most of this (relatively) small selection of photos is from Melisa Ann Photos (check out her Facebook page) and you can find more on the official HDB Facebook page and that of DM Photography. Additional photos by Lauren Beale.

Empty Bowls Returns for 2015

Wednesday, March 18th, 2015

If you’re like us (and so many of our supporters) you love when local food combines with local charity…that’s why Empty Bowls at Rondout Valley High School is such a great event! Now in its 12th year, Empty Bowls unites hard-working art students, local restaurants, food pantries and Ulster County residents who want to do good. On Friday, April 17th, hundreds of generous guests gather at Rondout Valley for an all-you-can-eat soup and ice cream buffet. For a $15 donation, choose from a one-of-a-kind handmade bowl and get your fill–or opt for a $5 paper bowl. You get to take home your beautiful bowl when you’re done! All proceeds benefit local food pantries including HVCS. We recommend getting there early, since the handmade bowls go quickly. Check out all the details on the event page or go to www.emptybowls.webs.com.

National HIV Testing Day is Monday, June 27th!

Thursday, June 2nd, 2011

National HIV Testing DayIt’s almost here: June 27, 2011, the seventeenth National HIV Testing Day (NHTD), weeks after the thirtieth anniversary of the CDC’s announcement of a strange new disease syndrome. We know it now as AIDS and the virus that causes it as HIV.

NAPWA founded National HIV Testing Day (NHTD) in 1995 in response to the HIV epidemic’s steady growth – especially in marginalized communities like people of color and men who have but also in middle-income neighborhoods where people thought, “it doesn’t happen here.” All Americans need to know they should Take the Test, Take Control, at least once a year. And we should also know that people with HIV who are in treatment with HAART drugs are significantly less at risk for passing their virus on the others than people with HIV who are not in treatment. Test-and-treat is not the whole answer to ending the epidemic, but it’s an indispensable first step.

ARCS is participating in Nationial HIV Testing Day with these events:

Orange County:

ARCS’ Project Reach Out is collaborating with a number of Newburgh-based agencies for a National HIV Testing Day event from 10:00 am to 4:00 pm at the corner of Johnston St. and Broadway, outside the Newburgh Ministry. FREE food, FREE fun, and FREE HIV testing. As always, HIV tests are confidential and the results are available in 20 minutes. Hosted by Project Outreach, Planned Parenthood, the Stephen Saunders Residence, TEAM Newburgh, Newburgh Ministry, H.O.N.O.R. ehg, OraSure, Hudson Health Plan and Fidelis. For more information, call Kristina at (845) 522-5756.

Sullivan County:

ARCS is collaborating with the Sullivan AIDS Task Force to create an HIV testing event on Tuesday, June 28th. More details to follow, or call Ginny at (845) 791-8871 ext 15.

Westchester County:

ARCS’ CHAPS program for young men is hosting an HIV Testing Event and Movie Night on June 27th at the MOSAIC Center, 137 South 4th Avenue in Mount Vernon! CHAPS focuses on young minority men who have sex with men but all are welcome to attend this event. See the full schedule below.

10:00am – 11:30 am – Testing available; light breakfast.

11:30am – 3:00 pm – Testing continues; healthy snacks will be served such as granola, fruit snacks, trail mix, etc.

5:00pm – 7:30 pm– Dinner and a Movie. Check back here to find out which DVD the group will be watching!

For more information, please call Santo at (914) 699-1025 ext 103.

ARCS Night at TGI Fridays in Poughkeepsie!

Wednesday, May 18th, 2011
Spend $20 and ARCS gets $5 on Thursday, June 9th.

Spend $20 and ARCS gets $5 on Thursday, June 9th.

Join ARCS’ Hudson Valley AIDS Walk committee for a final wrap-up of our largest fundraiser of the year by dining at TGI Friday’s on Route 9 in Poughkeepsie on Thursday, June 9th!

Spend $20, and ARCS gets $5! TGIFriday’s will be donating 25% of the price of your meal to ARCS when you bring in this flyer: http://www.arcs.org/events/TGIFridays.pdf.

We’ll be there at 6 pm, but YOU can dine for lunch or dinner. Just make sure to print out and bring this flyer and hand it to your server when you arrive!

Dine-in only on Thursday, June 9th. One per party, per visit. For more info, call (914) 785-8283.

Go 'Gades, Fight AIDS! Family Baseball Game to Benefit ARCS

Monday, May 9th, 2011
Rascal the Raccoon gets the crowd roaring at Dutchess Stadium.

Rascal the Raccoon gets the crowd roaring at Dutchess Stadium.

It’s time again for the third annual “Go ‘Gades, Fight AIDS” night at Dutchess Stadium in Fishkill, NY with the Hudson Valley Renegades! Join the staff of ARCS and the always-supportive Renegades on Thursday, June 30th at 7:05 pm as the team takes on the Staten Island Yankees. Tickets are only $10, which includes your general admission seat and a ‘Gades baseball cap, and the team will donate $3 per ticket to ARCS. It’s a great family-friendly night out that supports local HIV/AIDS services and the home team!

To purchase tickets, visit www.gadesgroups.com and enter “arcs” as the password. You may also call Kaitlin Lambert at 845-838-0094. All tickets will be held at the VIP window at the stadium.

Parking is $5 per car. General admission seats can fill up fast, so plan on getting there early to sit with your fellow ARCS supporters!

Mad for Mod Friendraiser – June 2, 2011

Monday, May 9th, 2011

mfm_fullCalling all “Mad Men” fans and design afficionados! On Thursday, June 2nd, 2011 ARCS returns to 11 Tallwoods Road in Armonk, NY–the home of self-proclaimed “Mod Men” Andrew Mandolene and Todd Goddard, for our second annual cocktail friendraiser. This year’s theme is “Mad for Mod” and will feature hors d’oeuvre by Myong Catering in Mount Kisco, fine wines and brews, and a specialty cocktail by mixologist Bob Brink. Wear your best “Jet-Set Casual” attire as we raise a glass to ARCS’ newest programs, our expanded young gay men’s outreach services, our new legal services program, and our housing assistance program. The party begins at 6 pm and lasts until 8 pm. Suggested donation of $20 at the door. Please RSVP as soon as possible, as space is limited. Reserve your spot on the patio overlooking a trickling waterfall today by calling 914-785-8283 or emailing jfernandes@arcs.org.

Ulster Co. Pre-Registration Party for Hudson Valley AIDS Walk Cancelled

Thursday, May 5th, 2011

Unfortunately, some facilities issues at Gunk Haus in Clintondale have forced us to cancel our pre-registration party for the Hudson Valley AIDS Walk tonight Thursday May 5, 2011. Walkers may register in person at the Walkway Over the Hudson’s Highland entrance on Saturday, May 7th beginning at 10:00 am instead. We are sorry for any inconvenience this may have caused. We want our Ulster County supporters to know that we appreciate their support for the 19th Annual Hudson Valley AIDS Walk. Please call (914) 785-8326 with any issues or questions regarding the AIDS Walk on Saturday.

www.arcs.org/AIDSWalk.php

Night Out at the Museum: New Videos Online!

Friday, April 15th, 2011

BigGayHudsonValley.com threw a “Night Out at the Museum” on Thursday, April 14, 2011 at the Frances Lehman-Loeb Art Center on the campus of Vassar College in Poughkeepsie to celebrate their re-opening after renovations, and to raise awareness for the upcoming Hudson Valley AIDS Walk on May 7th. Babycakes Cafe (a Dining Out for Life participating restaurant) provided an array of fruits and cheese, while on-campus acapella group the Vastards performed their gleeful renditions of pop hits. Nicole Roylance, Coordinator of Public Education and Information for the Frances Lehman-Loeb Art Center, took a few moments to talk with us about the Center’s Keith Haring silkscreens. Nicole kindly loaded their Keith Haring silkscreen works onto a digital display, due to the size of each silkscreen, to bring a greater sense of connection to the AIDS Walk for this one night. In this short video, she shares the connection now forged between the Lehman-Loeb Art Center and ARCS.

Check out ARCS’ YouTube channel to see these videos!

Photos from Drag Brunch at Gunk Haus

Monday, April 11th, 2011
Guests enjoyed delicious brunch fare like this fruit-topped waffle.

Guests enjoyed delicious brunch fare like this fruit-topped waffle.

Our sold-out Drag Brunch took place at Gunk Haus restaurant in Clintondale, NY on Sunday, April 10, 2011. Over 75 guests enjoyed classic brunch entrees with a German twist while DJ John Martin from Superior Sounds provided upbeat music. Hudson Valley “girl about town” Trixie Starr served as our hostess, and JoJo Gerard reinterpreted classic songs from yesteryear. The Gunk Haus staff kept on their toes (in lederhosen and kilts, no less) and helped us raise approximately $1,000 for ARCS’ programs and services. Funds will go toward the Hudson Valley AIDS Walk on May 7th.

We are grateful to our volunteers and donors: Dirk and Elizabeth from Gunk Haus, Trixie Starr, JoJo Gerard, John Martin, Marquis Evans, Jana Fernandes, Ellen Maher, Eclectic Studios Hair Salon, the Hotel Sierra, Lydia Higginson, Verizon, Dick Wilde, BigGayHudsonValley.com, Billiam van Roestenberg, and everyone who attended this fantastic, fun event.

Photos by Dick Wilde

Tim Lawton, Rob Conlon, Todd Michael Thomas, and Michael Hall raise a toast to ARCS.

Tim Lawton, Rob Conlon, Todd Michael Thomas, and Michael Hall raise a toast to ARCS.Trixie Starr

Marquis Evans from Superior Sounds takes a break for brunch.

Marquis Evans from Superior Sounds takes a break for brunch.

Bob Brink of Beacon

Bob Brink of Beacon

Brian Kelly, Ryan Judge and Stephan Hengst

Brian Kelly, Ryan Judge and Stephan Hengst

Ellen Maher, ARCS' Community Relations Manager

Ellen Maher, ARCS’ Community Relations Manager

J. Dewey, ARCS' Director of Public Relations, with Trixie Starr, glamorous hostess

J. Dewey, ARCS’ Director of Public Relations, with Trixie Starr, glamorous hostess

James, Gunk Haus' kilted server

James, Gunk Haus’ kilted server

Jeff Kraus, ARCS' Executive Director, addresses the crowd

Jeff Kraus, ARCS’ Executive Director, addresses the crowd

John Martin and Marquis Evans from Superior Sounds

John Martin and Marquis Evans from Superior Sounds

JoJo Gerard gave three stellar performances at Drag Brunch

JoJo Gerard gave three stellar performances at Drag Brunch

Patrick Decker and Stephan Hengst of BigGayHudsonValley.com

Patrick Decker and Stephan Hengst of BigGayHudsonValley.