Erie's 40 Under 40 Experience: Class of 2024

Andrew Dalton

Join the folks from the Erie Reader, the current and former classes of Erie's 40 Under 40, and all those who love to party at our sixth annual 40 Under 40 Experience, taking place this year at FEED Media Art Center. The vibe will be energetic, creative, avant garde, and, as always, full of appreciation for the work of all of our 40 Under 40 honorees.

FRIDAY, OCT. 11

It's that time of year again — the time when the folks at the Erie Reader take the opportunity to publicly celebrate this year's class of 40 Under 40 inductees with an experience, in the truest sense of the word.

This annual party, now in its sixth year, is not just for those inspiring young people selected for the distinction, it is for anyone who would like to join in for a truly epic night of music, dancing, food, art, and celebration.

FEED Media Art Center, an adaptively reused historic commercial space in the heart of Downtown Erie, will be the backdrop for the celebration this year. The overall vibe of the venue is raw, creative, and interesting, with a multitude of areas throughout to host all of the components you've come to expect from the 40 Under 40 Experience.

Erie Reader Publisher Adam Welsh, who has helped to organize this event each year comments, "FEED is the perfect venue to host this event, and I can't wait for everyone to see what we've put together. I think this year has a chance to be the best 40 Under 40 Experience we've done yet."

This year will feature original music performances from Shadow Plea (Dave Tamulonis, 40 Under 40 Class of 2022) and SANIS (Alex Staley, 40 Under 40 Class of 2024), with DJ Vinnie Hoffman from Erie Encore Entertainment keeping the party going between sets. The ever-popular silent disco will be back and better than ever (provided this year by RokkBoxx) with multiple hand-curated channels provided by onewayness (Adam Holquist, 40 Under 40 Class of 2014) and LoneSav (also Alex Staley, 40 Under 40 Class of 2024).

There will be live art, painted in -house and available to purchase via silent auction by Ceasar Westbrook (40 Under 40 Class of 2020) and live tattooing (provided by Matt Mele from Code of Honor Tattoo). There will be live drawings provided by Anthony Carson (Erie Reader cartoonist-extraordinaire), always on hand to capture your joy in portable art form.

The food will be provided by Cali's West catering with vegan treats created by Sundae Vegan Desserts (Samantha Randall, 40 Under 40 Class of 2022) with additional sweets available from Casey's Ice Cream Cart (Casey Corritore, 40 Under 40 Class of 2023). Specialty coffee brews will keep you awake and shaking on into the night, provided by North Edge Craft Coffee (Doug Baker, 40 Under 40 Class of 2022). And of course, all necessary libations will be provided by Allegheny Beverage Company (John DiMario, 40 Under 40 Class of 2023) and Taylor & Tonic Bartending Services.

Don't suffer from FOMO, make sure you stop into FEED and see what everyone's been talking about for all these years. It will definitely be an experience.

7 to 11 p.m. // FEED Media Art Center, 1307 State St. // $40 (pre-sale) // For tickets and info visit: tickets.eriereader.com