Downtown Manhattan will be bustling with people this Thursday as the community comes together for a night of fun, food and wine – all for a charitable cause at the 10th annual Promenade on Poyntz.
Promenade on Poyntz is a fundraiser put together by the Standard Beverage Corporation, which provides all the wines to the businesses participating in the event, according to the Homecare and Hospice website. Anyone 21-years or older can partake in the charity event. Tickets are $40 and all proceeds benefit Manhattan’s local Homecare and Hospice Foundation.
Ticket holders will stroll along Poyntz Avenue and Fourth Street while sampling 24 different wines. Along with the wine tasting, different local restaurants will provide small appetizers to accompany the paired wines.
With new businesses popping up all over downtown this year, Director of Development at Homecare and Hospice Christina Nolte said this is looks to be the biggest Promenade on Poyntz ever.
“We have 12 businesses that are participating, we typically have 10, so we’ve got a couple more businesses,” Nolte said.
Two more participation spots were made available so the event could boast a wider variety of Manhattan’s locally-owned businesses. Notle said that of the 12, five businesses are new to the promenade. Even for returning attendees, the event refreshes itself each year with new businesses, foods and wines.
“So either they are new to the event, or they are a new business downtown, but that always keeps it interesting for the participants,” Nolte said. “It’s not like it’s the same businesses or caterers every year.”
Among the newcomers to the event is Rachel Benjamin, owner of 4 Cakes, who will be sharing her workspace with the community at her new bakery.
“(4 Cakes) just opened officially in February this year, so this will be our first year as a separate company,” Benjamin said. “Through 4 Olives, my husband and I have done it every year.”
Scott Benjamin, Rachel’s husband, is the owner and executive chef of 4 Olives. Rachel said the event would help people find 4 Cakes and make them aware of her presence.
“I’m pretty new, so hopefully it will just let people know I’m here and what we do,” Rachel said.
Though 4 Olives is also new to the downtown scene after its big move from the west side of town, Scott chose partnership and tradition over promoting his new location.
“We have always done this with Strecker-Nelson Art Gallery,” Scott said. “We’re actually gonna continue that this year. Rachel will be serving cupcakes (at 4 Cakes) out of the bakery, but I’m gonna do our food still over at Strecker-Nelson, kind of out of tradition.”
While Scott is sticking to tradition, Manhattan resident Ralph Diaz is making a change as a new business owner. Diaz just started up The Winged Lion, an antique shop, after co-owning Gaia salon for 16 years.
“I participated while I was at Gaia Salon,” Diaz said. “This is going to be a great opportunity for me to show off the business. I haven’t done an opening yet.”
Many owners agreed that Promenade on Poyntz is a great event to get their names out there. But the event is more than just a fun walk around Manhattan’s blossoming downtown – it’s about charity and as Diaz said, it’s about educating people about Homecare and Hospice.
The Promenade on Poyntz is part of a larger chain of events called the Flint Hills Festival of Wines. Tickets for the Promenade are available online through the Homecare and Hospice website.
