Sweet Avenue Bake Shop and Planet Verge present Cupcakefest 2011 to benefit the Bloomfield Animal Shelter in Bloomfield, NJ.
We are now accepting applications for vendors at Cupcakefest. This event is being heavily promoted and we expect hundreds of attendees during the day.

•The fee is $50 per vendor. A percentage of the proceeds will benefit the shelter.
•All vendors must provide their own table and chairs. We also highly recommend a canopy due to hot weather and possible rain (as this is a rain or shine event).
•We are primarily looking for crafters, clothing companies, pet food/toy companies, vegan businesses, etc.; however, any interested, fun, or unique vendors will be considered.
•All vendors must include a summary of the types of items (with examples) that they plan to sell.
•All vendors must be approved by the event organizers, Sweet Avenue Bake Shop and Planet Verge.
•Vendors are expected to be present for the majority of the event, which runs from 1pm – 7pm. Late arrivals and early departures are acceptable, within reason.

Vendors will keep 100% of their profits from sales. All vendors will also receive the following mentions and logo placement on the following websites and Facebook pages:
-Sweet Avenue Bake Shop
-Planet Verge
-Cupcakefest.com

In addition, we are also accepting prizes towards our raffle. Please let us know if you would like to contribute a prize. Donors of acceptable raffle prizes will also receive verbal mentions during the raffle drawing portion of the event. Larger sponsorship opportunities also available.

Please email info@sweetavenuebakeshop.com for more information.

Media Contact:
Audio Crush PR
www.AudioCrushPr.com

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

Bloomfield, N.J./Rutherford, N.J. —April 7, 2011—Vegan cupcakery Sweet Avenue Bake Shop and Planet Verge, the lifestyle blog and Internet TV show that reports on “what’s hot” and “what’s important,” have announced Bloomfield’s John A. Bukowski Shelter for Animals as the beneficiary for the annual Cupcakefest. A daylong celebration of music and cupcakes, Cupcakefest will take place June 18 at Rutherford’s Lincoln Park Bandshell (176 Park Avenue). The festivities include performances from several bands (TBA), a cupcake eating contest, raffles and the opportunity to meet animals available for adoption.

“As vegan small business owners and animal rights advocates, we feel strongly about our obligation to give a voice to those who have none,” says Danielle Vance, owner of Sweet Avenue Bakeshop and founder of Cupcakefest. “We started Cupcakefest to be able to use our influence in the community to help some of the countless animals in shelters across New Jersey.”

Cupcakefest 2011 is free to attend. Pet supply donations are encouraged. Now four years in, Cupcakefest has raised thousands of dollars in cash and supplies for local shelters.

John A. Bukowski Shelter for Animals was chosen this year due to the challenges the shelter has faced this past year, including lack of funding and attempts to buy out the property: the shelter has been in the crosshairs of township officials for years as Glendale Cemetery, right next to the shelter, has wanted the land the shelter sits on for expansion. If the shelter is closed, all homeless or stray animals will likely be brought to Associated Humane in Newark, which is already overwhelmed. Animals can be put down in as little as seven days by state law, and it happens frequently at AHS.

“Planet Verge is honored every year to join Sweet Avenue in the planning of Cupcakefest,” states Joelle Caputa, president, Planet Verge. “Our staff is dedicated to raising awareness for important causes and feel it’s necessary for people to know that there are millions of amazing animals sitting in shelters right now, waiting to love you,” she said. This year’s Cupcakefest is extra special to her, as John A. Bukowski is her hometown shelter. “The shelter volunteers go above and beyond. When I adopted my dog a few years ago, my other dogs didn’t adjust well to the situation and the shelter’s trainer worked with us for months,” Joelle says. “Now, we couldn’t be happier!”

Cupcakefest 2011 will be filmed for Planet Verge TV. Watch Cupcakefest 2010 festivities.

SUBMISSION INFO FOR BANDS:
To submit for Cupcakefest 2011, e-mail planetverge@gmail.com with “Cupcakefest 2011 submission” and your band name in the subject line. Include a brief description of your music, career highlights, and links to streaming music and social networking pages. Deadline for submissions is Monday, April 18th.

ABOUT SWEET AVENUE BAKE SHOP
Sweet Avenue Bake Shop is a gourmet vegan cupcakery located in Rutherford, NJ. All cupcakes are 100% dairy and egg-free, cholesterol-free, and delicious. Sweet Avenue is dedicated to life, liberty and the pursuit of cupcakes! Visit SweetAvenueBakeShop.com, Facebook.com/sweetave, and Twitter.com/sweet_avenue.

ABOUT PLANET VERGE
Planet Verge is an all-female run media network. In 2001, Planet Verge launched as a music ‘zine in New Jersey. Today, Planet Verge takes on a farther-reaching form as a music and indie lifestyle Web site and Internet TV show (Planet Verge TV). Planet Verge reports on “what’s hot” and “what’s important” on the scene from our latest music and beauty obsessions to causes close to our hearts. Visit PlanetVerge.com, Facebook.com/PlanetVerge, and Twitter.com/PlanetVerge.

ABOUT JOHN A. BUKOWSKI SHELTER FOR ANIMALS
The John A Bukowski Shelter for Animals is located in Bloomfield, NJ. Managed by the township of Bloomfield, the shelter’s animal control serves the towns of Bloomfield and Caldwell. It has been in existence for 40+ years. The shelter is an extremely low-kill shelter. The majority of the animals are adopted into permanent homes or transferred to rescues or sanctuaries to live out their lives. No animals were put down in 2009, amazing for a municipal shelter and a testament to the dedication of the volunteers. In 2010 only two dogs were put down, both for serious health reasons. Visit Facebook.com/stbbs, Twitter.com/SaveTheShelter and Petfinder.com/shelters/NJ517.html.

GET DETAILS:

www.CupcakeFest.com and www.SweetAvenueBakeshop.com

Sweet Avenue Bake Shop Holds Cupcakefest 2010!

Saturday June 26th 2pm – 8pm

New York, NY. May 24, 2010 – Sweet Avenue Bake Shop is proud to announce Cupcakefest 2010 in partnership with Planet Verge & Big Picture Media, scheduled for Saturday, June 26th from 2pm to 8pm at Rutherford’s Lincoln Park Bandshell (176 Park Avenue). Cupcakefest is an annual celebration of music and cupcakes with several bands playing outdoor sets to raise money and donations for an honorable charity. In addition to free mini cupcakes for all comers, there are raffles and cupcake-eating contests all afternoon.

This year, Cupcakefest is jam packed with musical talent from the NY/NJ area. Some of the artists and bands include: Val Emmich (as seen on 30 Rock and Ugly Betty), Those Mockingbirds, Washington Square Park, Alchemy & the Queen, Young Squire (former members of Gaslight Anthem and And Then There Were Machines), Right as Rain and The Worms.

Besides eating cupcakes and listening to great music, Cupcakefest is held to raise money and donations for a different charity or organization each year. This year, Sweet Avenue is partnering with the Passaic Animal Shelter of Passaic, NJ. All of the proceeds from the raffles and cupcake-eating contest will be donated to this needy nearby shelter. Cupcakefest is free to the public, but all attendees are strongly encouraged to bring at least one item to donate to the animal shelter, such as pet food, litter, old blankets or towels, pet toys, etc.

This year, raffle prizes include donations by: Activision (Band Hero), Harmonix (Rock Band), Whole Foods, Rutherford Pancake House, Beauty by Nicole, Merrick Pet Care, Paradise Pet, Garden State Rollergirls, A Doghouse Bakery, Doggie Paradise and many more!

Last year alone, over $5,000 was raised in cash and pet supply donations for the Liberty Humane Society, and we hope to double that amount this year for the Passaic Animal Shelter! Please come and show your support! Besides, what’s greater than cupcakes, live music, and animals?

For more information, please go to: www.cupcakefest.com.

Val Emmich – www.myspace.com/valemmich

Those Mockingbirds – www.myspace.com/thosemockingbirds

Washington Square Park – www.myspace.com/washingtonsquarepark

Alchemy & the Queen – www.myspace.com/alchemyandthequeen

Young Squire – www.myspace.com/youngsquireband

Right as Rain – www.facebook.com/rightasrainmusic

The Worms –

About Sweet Avenue Bake Shop: Sweet Avenue is a gourmet vegan cupcakery located in Rutherford, NJ. They are 100% dairy and egg-free, cholesterol-free, and delicious. Sweet Avenue is dedicated to life, liberty and the pursuit of cupcakes! www.sweetavenuebakeshop.com

About Planet Verge: The all-female staffed music network has established a reputation for making an impact on the world–one indie rocker at a time–by bringing its audience “What’s Hot” and “What’s Important” through various forms of media (zines, blogs, Internet-TV episodes). www.planetverge.com

About Big Picture Media: Big Picture Media is a full service entertainment public relations agency based in NYC. BPM specializes in national television, print magazines and newspapers, syndicated radio and new media. www.bigpicturemediaonline.com

For press inquiries, please contact:

Christina Reynier | Big Picture Media
1133 Broadway, Suite 733 | New York, NY 10010
O: 212.675.3103 | C: 732.447.6985
aim: ummmhelllooo | christina@bigpicturemediaonline.com

***Exciting News!***

Cupcakefest 2010 is officially set for Saturday, June 26th. SAVE THE DATE! More info to come shortly. Please RSVP on our Facebook page!

Everyone, we will be accepting the same type of donations as last year’s event.  As always, Cupcakefest is free to attend, but we hope you’ll please bring any type of supplies that could be used by the shelter—pet food, cat litter, old blankets, pet toys, cleaning supplies, etc.  We’ll also be accepting cash donations, and everything will be donated to the Passaic Animal Shelter.

Remember, Cupcakefest is about awesome music and yummy cupcakes, but even more importantly, it’s about taking care of animals in need!

Check out Planet Verge’s video interview with 30 Seconds to Mars. Planet Verge was kind enough to bring along some of our cupcakes to the band since they’re all vegan and probably don’t get awesome cupcakes all that often! Thanks Joelle!

So you may be wondering… what IS Cupcakefest? I’m here to tell you. Cupcakefest is a day of cupcakes and music presented by Sweet Avenue Bake Shop (that’s us!).

This year we will be raffling off awesome prizes and collecting donations for the Liberty Humane Society in Jersey City, NJ. Liberty Humane Society is a shelter in an area that is easy to get to, with plenty of parking and room to grow. The shelter is managed by experts committed to ending animal overpopulation and irresponsible ownership.

So what about the music? Our main draw is a great group of bands who plan on putting on an awesome show for you. All musicians are local to NJ/NY. The bands are:
-Job Well Done [Website]
-Kieran Hobler [MySpace]
-Right as Rain [MySpace] [Facebook]
-Diminishing Returns [MySpace] [Facebook]
-Brian Keith & Kristina Capurso
-Those Mockingbirds [MySpace] [Facebook]

So what about the cupcakes? We’ll be giving out as many free mini cupcakes throughout the day as we can manage. And we’ll also have other cupcake-related activities throughout the day. More details about this as we get closer to the event. Also look out for some cute cupcake-themed gifts through our raffles.

Saturday, June 13th, 2009
2pm-8pm
@ Lincoln Park in Rutherford, NJ (across the street from our shop / across from Rutherford Borough Hall)

So the Sweet Avenue crew took another field trip the other day. This time we went out to see Rhett Miller at Mexicali Blues in Teaneck, NJ which is an awesome funky mexican restuarant/bar/music venue. We’re HUGE fans of the Old 97s, and Rhett Miller, so we knew it would be a great show. We, of course, brought Rhett a box of cupcakes. The cupcakes did have a string attached, however. We asked if Rhett would mind playing “Our Love” and of course he pulled through for us.

The show was pretty great. Mia Riddle opened up for Rhett, and did a quick duet with him on “Fireflies.” The show was entirely acoustic, with no backing bands, so it was really nice and intimate. My personal favorite part of the show was when he stopped in the middle of “Rollerskate Skinny” to ask the crowd if he had sung the third verse yet.

We got a picture of Rhett’s setlist. It was totally awesome to see our name scrawled on there next to our request.

After the show we got to meet up with Rhett. He’s an extremely friendly guy and he said he really appreciated the cupcakes, and was saving “the ones with all the sprinkles” for his kids. The whole show was really awesome, and it was great to meet someone whose music we love as much as Rhett’s.

*Please excuse the blurry photo, it was the best we could get with the very dark lighting!

We came across this post on The Music Slut. They were awesome enough to post a photo of Ben’s setlist from the show the other night. It was totally awesome to see that we got a shoutout next to our song request (Falling)!

Check out the photo below:

Last night we went to see Ben Kweller live at Town Hall in Midtown Manhattan. We were super excited because we got in touch with Ben beforehand and made arrangements to deliver him and his band some cupcakes.

We got to head backstage, thanks to Ben and his awesome crew (thanks, Chuck!) to deliver the cupcakes to Mr. Kweller and chat with him briefly. It’s no secret we’re all big music fans here at Sweet Avenue, so it was awesome getting to meet him, and as you can see, he was pretty excited about the cupcakes!

The show was great. Opening for Ben was Jones Street Station from Brooklyn, and The Watson Twins from LA. We did make a song request from Ben in exchange for the cupcakes, however, and he pulled through by playing “Falling,” so all was good.

One of the best parts of the show was when Ben’s son, Dorian, made his way out on stage to dance along to the last song, “Penny on the Train Track.” Dorian’s dancing and summersaults got pretty much the biggest reaction from the crowd of the night.

All in all, it was a really awesome show. We just want to thank Ben for being awesome to us, and for putting on a great show.

Here at Sweet Avenue we’re getting ready to celebrate our first full year in the shop, so we figured the best way to do that would be with music! We’re throwing another show in Lincoln Park (across the street from our shop — 153 Park Ave, Rutherford, NJ 07070). It’ll be Saturday, August 23rd, 12-6pm. We’ve got a bunch of great bands lined up:

Right as Rain
Brian Keith & Mike TeeVee
Croft Minor
Kieran Hobler
Alex and the Horribles
…and more to be announced soon!

Check out the event on Facebook! (must be a member)

We’ll have more exciting news to talk about soon, so stay tuned.