Pictured is John Kinder, program director for The Zone at Northwest Arena, with items that will be available at the upcoming gala at The Zone. Submitted photos

Northwest Arena is preparing to host “A Night in The Zone Gala” to raise additional funding for The Zone project.

The gala, which will take place in The Zone at Northwest Arena, will begin at 6 p.m. May 20.

John Kinder, program director for The Zone at Northwest Arena, told The Post-Journal that the upcoming gala will play a major role in the final push for the project’s funding.

“This upcoming gala is to ultimately raise funds and get us one step closer to closing the door on our capital funding campaign and starting the interior build-out of what we anticipate to be a spring 2024 grand opening of The Zone,” Kinder said. “We’re very excited about this event. It should really get us that much closer to the finish line.”

Kinder said the event will be sponsored by a Buffalo-based golf enterprise named OnCore Golf. The event will feature live auctions and silent auctions, live music and a keynote speech by OnCore Chairman and CEO Keith Blakely.

Kinder told The Post-Journal that The Zone is about three-quarters of the way toward its total fundraising goal. While he did not disclose the exact amount of funding left for the project to be completed, he said the fundraising is “extremely close” to being completed. Kinder added that there are additional funds and potential grant funding that are currently pending.

Asked if this fundraiser will help bridge the gap of funding, Kinder said it will help The Zone reach its fundraising goal.

“It’s not unlikely for us at the culmination of that event for us to be where we need to be,” he said.

Kinder said The Zone has already started ordering materials for the “interior exhibitory” to begin construction in the lobby and throughout the children and youth’s play space. He added that construction of some of the interior of The Zone will begin in the summer months.

Regarding the upcoming gala, Kinder said people attending the event can expect to experience a “taste of The Zone.”

“The gala is housed in the actual space that The Zone will be in, and I think that’s pretty unique,” he said. “A lot of times you people are renting out different spaces to hold events such as this, so for it to be a fundraiser for The Zone and actually be held in that space, I think it’s pretty special. Folks can expect to just have a really fun night.”

According to Kinder, the gala will feature a variety of high-quality live auction and silent auction items, as well as “tons” of Buffalo Bills paraphernalia at a variety of price points.

“I think it’s monumental in the journey of The Zone and really getting people who maybe haven’t been in the building or haven’t necessarily heard of the project, just getting them to experience the space outside of the video or outside of pictures and really just being in the space and experience what it’s going to be like; 6,200 square feet is a massive space,” Kinder said. “I don’t think a lot of people realize that until they’re actually standing in the physical space and they’re like, ‘Wow, this is going to be a play space for kids,’ It’s massive.”

Kinder said the upcoming gala will be instrumental in providing people with an opportunity to experience the energy and excitement that is shared by the team of people at Northwest Arena who are working on the project. He said the exposure for The Zone is significant, considering the phase the project is currently in.

“I’ve lived in the Jamestown area for about seven years now, and since I’ve moved here, you always hear, ‘There’s nothing for the kids to do.'” Kinder said. “Just speaking very candidly, I think that’s the selling point. This is something that so many people have longed for and have talked about wanting to have, and finally, it’s in place. We just need the final push, so I think it’s something that everyone should get behind.”

Kinder believes The Zone will do “a ton of good” for the Jamestown community. With scholarships already lined up to provide admission to low-income youth and families in the community and general admission at an “available price point,” The Zone is expected to have a major impact on the community. According to Kinder, the team responsible for the project has “left no stone unturned” throughout the planning process.

“I think it’s definitely a project that folks should get behind because it is going to do a ton of good in many different facets for our community,” he said.