Matlacha Hookers celebrate wine tasting Gatsby-style
Sunday afternoon at Alden Pines Country Club, islanders were transported back in time to the 1920s. There were dapper gents, flappers and even a 1929 Model A for photo shoots.
“We have a really great crowd here today,” Matlacha Hooker and treasurer Melva Wilzbach said. “And the weather couldn’t be any better. There are lots of people that come together to make this a truly wonderful event. Last year we had the Mardi Gras-themed wine tasting and this year it’s Roaring Twenties Great Gatsby theme wine tasting.”
Ticket holders each received a painted wine glass for tasting each of six wines three reds and three whites. Matlacha Hooker Dot Mahan, along with her volunteers, painted the wine glasses in a very elegant Great Gatsby – Art Deco theme.
The main room included an ice sculpture with champagne service and CW Fudge provided chocolates to accompany each of the six wines.
The 1929 Model A is owned by Pine island resident Jeff Mahl, the great grandson of the winner of the Great Race of 1908 George Schuster.
“When the Hookers asked me if they could borrow the Model A of course I said, yes,” Mahl said. “The Hookers perform such a great service to the island.”
Mahl presented his great-grandfather’s story as a “one-man-show” to a full house at the Pine Island Methodist Church last February.
While Mahl provided the car, Joan and Phil Rosenberg took personalized photos of the guests holding a machine gun.
All of the proceeds benefited the Beacon of H.O.P.E. Seniors Program. The Seniors Program offers assistance with medical deductibles, Meals on Wheels, rent, water and phone, mammograms, lab work and prescriptions, dental care, food cards for in-between food stamps, support for grandparents who have to become parents, gas money for interviews and doctor appointments; property taxes, personal hygiene products, renew drivers license and senior events, such as balance, memory, health insurance and end of life care.