Buffalo and Western New York are observing 716 Day on Thursday, July 16, an annual celebration named after the region's area code.
The Buffalo Bills and Buffalo Sabres are again backing Give 716, the joint charity drive run by the Buffalo Bills Foundation and the Buffalo Sabres Foundation. This is the sixth year of the collaboration. The event began at 7:16 p.m. on July 15 and runs through 11:59 p.m. on July 16. Last year the drive raised more than $1.4 million, and over five years it has raised more than $5.8 million for charities across Western New York. Michelle Roberts of the Bills Foundation and Rich Jureller of the Sabres Foundation organize the effort.
Retail is a large part of the day. The BFLO Store is holding events at all four of its locations, including a limited 716 Day pint glass produced in a run of 716 for customers spending $71.60 or more. Bills linebacker Dorian Williams and former Sabres right winger Pat Kaleta are scheduled for ticketed autograph sessions at the Transitown Plaza location. The store is also launching its Tailgate Collection and running a drawing for a helmet signed by former Bills quarterback Jim Kelly.
At Sahlen Field, the Buffalo Bisons are holding a Step to the Plate event from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. with free entry. Sahlen Packing Co. and Weber's Brand are providing free hot dogs to the first 716 fans. An on-field Home Run Challenge offers seven swings for a $16 donation to the Buffalo Bisons Charitable Foundation.
The Buffalo and Erie County Botanical Gardens has set admission at $7.16 for the day, including its Butterfly Experience, open from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Trusted Gives is hosting a free 716 CommUNITY Day at Martin Luther King Jr. Park from 3 to 7 p.m.