HYANNIS – The Art Westfall Foundation is hosting the third Annual Bartenders Ball this weekend in Hyannis.
Experience the Cape’s one and only one day speakeasy on Sunday, October 7, where participants will celebrate the finest in the service industry. The black tie event is a 1920’s style theme this year.
The event will announce the winners of the 2018 ‘Best of Cape Cod’ Official Ballot. Area residents nominate varying dining and entertainment venues on the Cape, as well as individual servers, chefs, and more. The contest even has a vote for ‘Mayor of Cape Cod’.
Event Organizer and Owner of Trader Ed’s John Shea says that foundation was formed about 22 years ago when Art Westfall, owner of the now closed Pufferbellies Nightclub, died from cancer at the age of 50.
“So, we threw a fundraiser for him to try and help him through a bad time and then we presented him with a check. Then on his death bed he basically said, ‘hey, this is a great idea,’ and asked if we could continue this on in his name,” Shea said.
“You wanted to know Art. To get in for free or to get in, you had to know Art. He was just a great guy around town, took care of everybody, took care of his employees, and was just a well-liked gentleman.”
Participants will also enjoy live music by the Pick Pocket Orchestra and Tony Bailey, a Casino Room, VIP lounge, dancing, and even a psychic.
The Art Westfall Foundation has been working to raise money for the hospitality industry for two decades. Proceeds from the event will go directly towards that cause.
Co-Organizer of the event, John ‘Beezer’ Bearse, says the foundation helps those who work in the hospitality industry cover medical expenses and other costs if they are out of work because of an illness or injury.
“Mostly its people who either get hurt at work, a chef that cuts his finger or someone who gets in a car accident. It’s typically minor stuff, but we’ve helped families bury their loved ones, we’ve helped people whose house caught on fire, it’s a wide range of stuff,” said Bearse. “We wrote about 20 checks last year, over 100 checks in the last 20 years.”
The Ball kicks off on Sunday at 7:30 p.m. at the Resort and Conference Center in Hyannis.
By TIM DUNN, CapeCod.com News Center
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