Amelia Park Arena plans Celebrity Bartending Fundraiser Event for 25th Anniversary
This year marks the 25th Anniversary for Amelia Park, and the non-profit arena is set to combine
celebration with fundraising. Amelia Park Arena will be launching a myriad of new fundraising
events, with the goal of maintaining the beautiful facility for the community for years to come.
The first on tap will be a Celebrity Bartending Event at the Westfield Applebee’s on March 7th,
from 5:30-8:30pm.
Twenty-Five years ago Al Ferst opened the doors to Amelia Park Arena, an incredible facility for
the town of Westfield and surrounding areas. As time has gone on, the replacement of original
equipment has made for a challenging financial journey for Amelia Park. In just the last 5 years,
$700,000 has been put back into the facility, and another $700,000 in improvements sits in the
not so distant horizon. The new fundraising events are set to help in the efforts to maintain
Amelia Park as the best community resource possible.
“It’s a constant financial battle keeping the rink up to the standard our community deserves” said
Amelia Park General Manager Billy Fellows. “We have one of the nicest facilities in the area, but
it’s certainly not easy to maintain. We’ve introduced some new fundraising events in the last few
years, and we’ll continue to brainstorm more unique events. The ancillary income from them is
just so crucial for our facility.” Said Fellows.
The Celebrity Bartending Event will be a great opportunity for the people who have supported
Amelia for many years to get together for a great time, and even better cause. The fundraising
teams consist of local first responders, arena sponsors, Amelia Park trustees, and special guest
USA Women’s Hockey Olympic Gold Medalist Kacey Bellamy.
“I’ve been on the board at Amelia for 20 years, we’ve always had a great hockey community
here in town.” Said longtime Westfield High School Coach Moose Matthews. “Now this year we
are turning to that community to help us fundraise and keep Amelia Park a staple of our town.
We’re looking forward to bringing everyone together for a fun night to benefit the arena” said
Matthews.
Westfield Applebee’s is graciously donating 15% of all tabs during the event to Amelia Park
Arena. You can also go to eat any time during the day on March 7th and mention you’re there to
support Amelia Park, and your bill will go towards the fundraiser. There will be four bartending
teams battling to see who can raise the most funds. If you’d like to support a fundraising team
you can visit www.ameliaparkarena.org/celebritybartender or email
BFellows@ameliaparkarena.org. Checks can also be mailed to “Amelia Park Arena” 21 S Broad
Street Westfield, MA.