By Chip Chandler — Producer
October will offer a bountiful selection of fundraisers. Make your reservations now for these fun ways to give back.
Hispanic Heritage Luncheon
Georgia Estrada, the first Hispanic woman elected as a Potter County Constable, will be the keynote speaker for the annual Hispanic Heritage Luncheon.
The luncheon is set for 11:45 a.m. Oct. 3 in the Amarillo Wesley Community Center, 1615 S. Roberts St.
Five awards will be presented: Young Rising Star, Lifetime Heart of the Barrio, Business Community Service, Hispanic Woman of the Year and Hispanic Man of the Year.
Hosts are Jason Crespin of Amarillo Little Theatre and Nancy Garcia of the West Texas A&M University department of communications.
Tickets are $20 or $150 for a table of eight. A portion of proceeds will fund student scholarships from Los Barrios de Amarillo.
Call 806-570-8644.
The HeArt of CASA
Art inspired by children will be in the spotlight at the new The HeArt of CASA.
The party will begin at 5:30 p.m. Oct. 4 at Rocking OT, 3100 S.W. Sixth Ave.
Volunteers worked with child clients of Amarillo Area CASA to make drawings over the summer. Those drawings were then given to West Texas A&M University graphic design students, who made their own pieces inspired by them.
The WT students' work will be sold in a silent auction at the event, which also will feature heavy hors d'oeuvres, craft beer and wine. Sales will benefit CASA, which provides volunteer advocates for abused and neglected children in court, school and the community.
Tickets are $75 or $25 for West Texas A&M University students, faculty and staff.
Call 806-373-2272.
LIPS 2018
The fight is on at LIPS 2018.
The annual lip-synching event will move to a lip-sync battle format, pitting groups in head-to-head competitions for celebrity judges. (Don't get too excited: Their definition of "celebrity" includes me, among other, far more qualified people.)
The party begins at 6 p.m. Oct. 4 in the Amarillo Civic Center Complex Heritage Ballroom, 401 S. Buchanan St.
General admission is $75; sponsorships are available from $150 to $10,000.
Proceeds benefit Opportunity School, which provides early childhood education and family support.
Call 806-373-4245.
Pink Bike Fest, Show & Run for Breast Cancer
A day-long bike show and fest will raise funds for breast cancer patients.
The sixth annual Pink Bike Fest, Show & Run for Breast Cancer will run 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Oct. 6 at Illustrated Lady Tattoo & Piercing Studio & School, 500 S.W. Sixth Ave.
The family-friendly event will feature a bike run and show that will benefit Panhandle Cancer Cure Foundation. Food and drink proceeds will benefit Christian Motorcyclist Association.
Entry fee is $15 per bike for the motorcycle show, and $15 for single riders and $25 for pairs for the bike run. Admission to the festival is free.
Call 806-373-8707.
Walk for Mental Health 5K
The sixth annual Walk for Mental Health 5K will kick off at 3 p.m. Oct. 6 at Memorial Park, 2501 S. Washington St.
The event for National Alliance on Mental Illness — Texas Panhandle and the Amarillo Area Mental Health Consumers/Agape Center will raise both funds and awareness.
Registration fee is $25. Sponsorships are available for $100 to $2,500.
Call 806-373-7030.
Rider on the Rim Trail Ride and Concert in the Canyon
Country band Shenandoah will headline the 11th annual Rider on the Rim Trail Ride and Concert in the Canyon on Oct. 6.
The event — a fundraiser for Texas Panhandle Heritage Foundation, which produces the musical Texas — will begin with by-reservation-only guided trail rides by horseback or jeep at 2 p.m. in the Elkins Ranch at Palo Duro Canyon, then a VIP cocktail reception and dinner at 5:30 p.m. in the Pioneer Amphitheatre.
The separate concert will begin at 7:30 p.m. with The Prairie Dogs, followed by Shenandoah at 9 p.m. and dancing on the patio with The Buster Bledsoe Band after the concert.
Horseback trail ride packages are $1,000, which includes one horseback ride and dinner, cocktails and VIP concert tickets for four. Jeep trail ride packages are $500, which includes a jeep ride for four, plus dinner, cocktails and VIP concert tickets for four. Reservations are due Sept. 24.
Dinner and cocktail reception tickets are $150 each, $300 for couples and $450 for four.
Concert tickets are $45 to $65.
Call 806-655-2181.
The Mad Hatter's Ball
Amarillo Botanical Gardens will transform into Wonderland for this annual fundraiser.
The Mad Hatter's Ball will begin at 7 p.m. Oct. 6 at the gardens, 1400 Streit Drive.
The party will feature jugglers, stilt walkers, food from Pescaraz, drinks and Amarillo College Conservatory Theatre students acting as characters from the play Alice in Wonderland.
The Solano Project will perform.
Tickets are $50 each or $1,000 for VIP tables of eight.
Call 806-352-6513.
Dueling Pianos
The pianos will blaze so much that the ice may melt.
For a third year, Amarillo Bulls will host a Dueling Pianos concert to benefit youth hockey and ice skating.
The show will begin at 8:30 p.m. Oct. 6 in the Amarillo Civic Center Complex South Exhibit Hall, 401 S. Buchanan St., following the Bulls' matchup with the Lone Star Brahmas.
Tickets are $300 per table of eight; individual tickets will go on sale a week before the event.
Call 806-670-7577.
Savor the Goods
Join Panhandle PBS for the next Savor the Goods, a farm-to-table evening featuring Chef Rory Schepisi.
The fundraiser will run 6 to 8 p.m. Oct. 11 at The Piehl Barn, 900 Farm-to-Market Road 2381 in Bushland. Doors open at 5:30 p.m.
Schepisi has created a menu featuring Certified Angus Beef and locally sourced produce from the Texas Panhandle region. The menu will include steak tartare, scallops with marrow luge, menage a trois of Certified Angus Beef, and Drunken Oyster bread pudding served with beef-butter ice cream and a salted caramel bourbon sauce.
Following a happy hour at 5:30 p.m., the chef will demonstrate a recipe from the meal you will be served at 6:30 p.m., followed by dinner service at 7 p.m.
Tickets are $75, including dinner and drinks. The evening is sponsored by Certified Angus Beef, the Gilliland Family Foundation, South Texas Money Management and Republic National Distributing Company.
Call 806-371-5477.
Amarillo Heart Walk
Lace up your sneakers for the annual Heart Walk on Oct. 13.
The walk begins at 9 a.m. Oct. 13 at Don Harrington Discovery Center, 1200 Streit Drive. Participants will trod a 5K or one-mile course.
Registration is free, but donations will benefit American Heart Association.
Call 866-430-9255.
Run! The Cops Are Here 5K
The Randall County Sheriff's Office will host this race, which benefits its employee assistance fund.
The event begins at 9 a.m. Oct. 13 at Joe Taco, 502 15th St. in Canyon.
Costumes are encouraged.
Registration fee is $25 or $20 for Lone Star Runners Club members and students.
Call 806-231-1985.
Mad Scientist Ball
The 10th anniversary Mad Scientist Ball also will be the final anniversary.
The long-running fundraiser for Don Harrington Discovery Center will be retired after this year, organizers said.
This year's party — which will kick off at 7 p.m. Oct. 13 at the center, 1200 Streit Drive — will feature music from The Space Rockers, a fully catered dinner, two open bars and a coffee bar, a photo booth, science experiments and activities, and more.
Tickets are $125. Sponsorships are available from $500 to $10,000.
Call 806-355-9547.
35th Birthday Red Tie Chair Affair & Gala
Ronald McDonald House Charities of Amarillo will celebrate at the 35th Birthday Red Tie Chair Affair & Gala.
The party will begin at 7 p.m. Oct. 13 at Cerulean Gallery, 814 S. Taylor St.
Thirty-five Amarillo artists and five child artists have decorated children's chairs that will be auctioned at the event. Six Amarillo chefs will prepare small plates, Reed Beverage will provide drinks and Maggie Burt will perform.
Tickets are $100 or $175 for a pair.
Call 806-358-8177.
12 x 12
Square is cool in Amarillo Museum of Art's annual 12 x 12 Art Exhibition and Silent Auction.
The one-night-only show and sale will feature 100 works by 50 artists who have previously participated and 50 artists chosen by the AMoA Alliance 12 x 12 committee.
The party will run from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. Oct. 18 at the museum, 2200 S. Van Buren St.
Art — all 12 inches by 12 inches (by 12 inches, if three-dimensional) — will be sold via silent auction with a starting bid of $120. Half of the sales price will go to AMoA's educational programs, with the other half going to the artist.
Tickets are $12, including heavy hors d'oeuvres and a full bar.
Call 806-371-5050.
Randall County Steak Out
Chomp down on a full steak dinner at the annual Randall County Steak Out.
The dinner — which will benefit Randall County 4-H and FFA members — will begin at 6:30 p.m. Oct. 20 in the First United Bank Center on the West Texas A&M University campus.
The party also will include a live and silent auction, cash bar and calcutta reverse drawing, in addition to the dinner from Coors Cowboy Club.
Amarillo country band Next to Kin will perform for a dance.
Tickets are $100 per couple or $500 for a table of eight.
Call 806-681-8001.
Monster Bowl
Costumed teams will take the lanes at the annual Monster Bowl.
The fundraiser for Junior Achievement of the High Plains helps equip volunteers to work with area youth.
The event runs from 5 to 10 p.m. Oct. 20 at Western Bowl, 5120 Canyon Drive.
Entry fee is $300 for a team of five. Sponsorships are available from $500 to $2,500.
Call 806-355-0045.
Fire Feast
Volunteer fire departments from around the area will benefit from Fire Feast 2018.
The dinner will begin at 6:30 p.m. Oct. 20 in Embassy Suites Amarillo, 550 S. Buchanan St. Doors open at 6 p.m.
The evening will include cocktails, silent and live auctions and a dance with Mitchell Ford & The Volunteers.
Tickets are $75. Sponsorships are $1,000, $2,500 and $5,000.
Proceeds will provide resources for volunteer departments in the region through Texas Panhandle Area Volunteer Fire Departments.
Call 806-336-9100 or email connect@firefeast.org.
Panhandle Cancer Cure Foundation 5K and One-Mile Run
The ninth annual Panhandle Cancer Cure Foundation 5K and One-Mile Run will kick off at 8:30 a.m. Oct. 27.
The 5K will begin at 9 a.m. Both races will start at Texas Oncology, 1000 S. Coulter St., Suite 100.
Costumes are encouraged.
Entry fee is $25 before Oct. 22 and $30 after. Packet pick-up is 1 to 5:30 p.m. Oct. 26 or the morning of the race.
Call 806-457-2088.
EQTX Halloween Party
Put on your flashiest costumes for the annual Equality Texas Halloween Party.
The party will begin at 8 p.m. Oct. 27 at Reed Beverage, 3701 S.E. 25th Ave., and will feature hors d'oeuvres, open bar and costume contest.
Tickets are $15; sponsorships are available for $250. Proceeds will benefit the EQTX Foundation, which lobbies for lesbian/gay/bisexual/transgender rights in the state.
Call 806-676-0125.
Beans and Cornbread Luncheon
A simple meal will help raise funds to support Amarillo's homeless population.
The 21st annual Beans and Cornbread luncheon is set for 11:30 a.m. Oct. 29 in the Amarillo Civic Center Complex Heritage Ballroom, 401 S. Buchanan St.
Tables of eight are $250, $500, $1,000 and $5,000.
The event is the kickoff for the annual Interfaith Campaign for the Homeless, which will raise additional funds from communities of faith through May 2019.
Call 806-282-1014 or 806-290-8577.
6th Street Creepy Crawl
The annual 6th Street Creepy Crawl kicks off with kids activities from 6 to 8:30 p.m. Oct. 31 along Historic Route 66.
Proceeds benefit SanJac Coalition.
Adults-only fun begins at 9 p.m. with live music in several bars along Sixth Avenue.
PunchCard tickets will offer discounts and specials at stores and bars along Sixth Avenue.
Volunteers are sought for set-up, trick or treating, tear-down and more.
Call 806-322-1806.
Chip Chandler is a producer for Panhandle PBS. He can be contacted at Chip.Chandler@actx.edu, at @chipchandler1 on Twitter and on Facebook.
