Winds, Waves & Wines with The Aquarium of Niagara

Winds, Waves & Wines, the Aquarium of Niagara's 16th annual major fundraising event, will take place from 6-9 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 10, at the Conference & Event Center Niagara Falls, 101 Old Falls St. Proceeds from this year's wine and food-paring event go toward the capital campaign, "Join Our Journey."

The Rod Nickson Project will provide live music. Local DJ Pat Proctor of Premier Sound will be the DJ, spinning tunes in the courtyard. Celebrity host Aaron Mentkowski of WKBW Channel 7 will emcee the event.

There will be a silent auction with bidding on trips and merchandise, including a wine tour in South Africa with a day of penguin immersion; an all-inclusive week vacation to Mexico; and jewelry, golf packages, staycation packages and sports memorabilia. A drawing will be held for the Aquarium of Niagara's mega raffle ticket, where everyone who buys a ticket has a one in 30 chance to win $10,000.

Winds, Waves & Wines tickets are $75 in advance, or two for $130. Admission cost will increase Thursday.

The Aquarium of Niagara is one of only 20 institutions in North America to house, care and feature the threatened Humboldt penguins. Phase one of its "Join Our Journey" features a new Humboldt penguin exhibit and interactive/encounter classroom.

For more information, contact Ilene Strober at 716-285-3575, ext. 203, or [email protected].