Beacon of H.O.P.E. holds successful three-day event
The three-day Holiday House of H.O.P.E. was a huge success this year in raising money for the Beacon of H.O.P.E. organization, along with attracting nearly 1,000 people to the entire event.
“The Holiday House was everything I wanted it to be,” Elsie Stearns, Beacon of H.O.P.E. president, said. “Besides raising money for the Beacon of H.O.P.E., our goal was to set a holiday tradition to kick-start the season for our islanders, visitors and children. That was what a lot of the folks attending said as they walked through the door or as they exited ‘Thanks we are ready to start our holiday.'”
Thursday night brought perfect weather for Santa’s arrival. Fire Chief Joe Marzella greeted Mr. and Mrs. Claus and helped them from the boat.
“The weather was perfect all three nights, the sunsets were beautiful and this year we broke all records,” Stearns said. “Phil and Joan Rosenberg took 150 pictures of Santa and the children.”
Over 400 families enjoyed family night and approximately 570 attended Friday and Saturday nights combined. The fund-raiser brought in about $4,500 for the table top auction trees. This is the third year that table top trees were auctioned.
Table top trees start off as undecorated miniature Christmas trees that are purchased and decorated by local businesses. Each business decorates a tree, creating unique decor. The trees are then auctioned off to the highest bidder. The artist’s tree, decorated by Pine Island / Matlacha artists, brought in $2,000 for the Beacon of H.O.P.E.
“I did really well,” Nan Patterson, owner of Island Time Home and Gifts, said. “We did great and had lots of traffic every night. So many people that came were customers of mine while at the same time I had great exposure to a lot of people that didn’t know I was here. I needed the exposure and I got the exposure that was the best part about it. That and it was a great cause. The Beacon of H.O.P.E. does a lot of good on this island.”
“It is wonderful to see the community coming out to support the Beacon of H.O.P.E.,” William Tidball, co-owner of CW Fudge Factory, said. “The Holiday House is not only a fun event but we did really well business-wise. I know all the adults and the children had a great time.”
“This is the fourth year we’ve held this at the Tarpon Lodge,” Beacon director Betsy Haesemeyer said. “Isn’t this just decorated beautiful with the lights, Christmas trees and, of course, a visit by Mr. and Mrs. Claus.”
“There were a number of people that worked on the decorations,” Rob Wells, general manager of Tarpon Lodge, said. “Sometimes we get the credit but it is the volunteers at the Beacon of H.O.P.E. that do all of the decorating and the property looked great – they do a great job every year. We also opened all the rooms again this year so the vendors could decorate them. Each vendor splits the proceeds with 50 percent going to the Beacon of H.O.P.E.
“This has been a great thing for us,” Wells said. “It’s wonderful how the community has embraced this event. We have been really fortunate to have this opportunity to help an island charity.”
“The Holiday House of H.O.P.E. has quickly become a tradition here on Pine Island,” Stearns said. “And there just isn’t a more beautiful place on the island to celebrate Christmas than Tarpon Lodge. This was only possible with the help of the Wells family.”