July 25, 2025| Community, Events, Fundraising
By: Caitlin Doran
Planning our annual gala and auction is a lot like planning a large musical production: there’s planning, staging, rehearsing…and the end result is all about timing and hitting your mark! As with any great production, there are many, many people to thank for their contributions, be they cast, supporting cast, behind-the-scenes helpers, and an enthusiastic audience!
The stage for our gala this year, once again, was Stone Water restaurant. Helpful and generous, the Stone Water team delivered on another great cocktail-style event, with delicious and diverse food, tasty cold drinks, and a wonderful atmosphere. We count ourselves lucky to call them our partner!
Our hard-working committee, working like a professional tech crew, spent months bringing together our garden-themed event, and we want them to take a bow! A job very well done to Mike Broking, Kari Constantine, Marie DiFrancesco, Caitlin Doran, Cindy Espersen, Karen Foley, Lisa Hirschfeld, Jim Leffler, Patty Parise, and Liz Poskitt.
We also had the help of some truly dedicated volunteers last Thursday night, ushering us to new heights while expertly organizing check-in, selling raffle tickets, and so much more. Let’s have another round of applause for: Sarah Allen, Christy and Randy Artiglere, Kathy Damerel, Gerri Harrell, and Blair Keller!
The star of our gala and auction? It was truly the auction. Nearly 70 items and experiences were given to us by generous donors, whose contributions made up a significant portion of the night’s fundraising. A round of applause for our generous auction donors, who contributed everything from cocktail classes, to fly fishing retreats, to precious pieces of art. A very big thank you goes out to the following people and organizations:
| Alice’s Restaurant | Karen Foley; Agent for Prominent Properties; Sothebys International Realty | The Morris Museum |
| Christy and Randy Artiglere | Gary's Wine and Marketplace | New Jersey Electric Boat Company |
| Baronements by Jennifer Barone | Gatwyns II | Patty and Bob Parise |
| The Beacon Restaurant | Griffin & Howe at Hudson Farm Club | Pat's Bar & Grill |
| Black Oak Golf Club | Grounds for Sculpture | Keith Poskitt |
| Boots and Bling Line Dancing LLC | Hackensack Riverkeeper | Kyle and Liz Poskitt |
| Breaking Glass Stained Glass Art Studio | Harbee Beekeeping | Pub 199 |
| Bridge Marina | Hawk Ridge Farm | Ralston Cider Mill Museum |
| Mike Broking and Jim Leffler | Ken and Cindy Heaton | Ramsey Outdoor Store |
| Bruce Feakins | Bernd and Kaiya Hefele | Roxbury Arts Alliance |
| Leslie Brunn | Helrick's Framing | Mike Schillizzi |
| Byram Bus | Bill and Lisa Hirschfeld | Gillian and Sarah Sciaretta |
| Cafe Pierrot | Marty Kane | Patrice Schelkun |
| Casa Bellisima | Krogh's | Jean Sheridan |
| Chapala Grill 4 | Kula Yoga and Wellness | Shore Hills Country Club |
| Charley's Tavern | Lake Hopatcong Adventure Company | Mark and Tracey Simon |
| Marie and Tom Cook | Lake Hopatcong Boat Club and Charters | Brandon Sklenar |
| Richard Cotton | Lake Hopatcong Cruises | St. Moritz |
| Crystal Springs Resort | Lake Hopatcong Foundation | Stone Water |
| Kathy Damerel | Lake Hopatcong Historical Museum | Two Good Hands to Help |
| Caitlin Doran | Lake Hopatcong Yacht Club | Well Sweep Herb Farm |
| Dover Sportsplex | Live the Lake NJ | Whyte and Mackay |
| Due Process | Donna Macalle-Holly | The Windlass |
| Elite Island Resorts | Main Lake Market | |
| Bruce Feakins | Mason Street Grille |
Missed the auction? We still have items that are available for purchase, like tickets to our upcoming Pub Crawl, Country Line Dancing Night, and Private Mixology Class. It’s also never too late to donate to Fund the Mission items and help us purchase much-needed components of our educational programs.
For our curtain call, we turn to our fantastic sponsors and advertisers, without whom we simply would not have been able to exceed our ambitious $120K goal! And we hope you will take a moment to view our gala & auction journal. A standing ovation for the following sponsors:
Premier Sponsor: Hudson Farm
Platinum Sponsors: John and Cindy Deermount, Bob and Cynthia Hamburger, Live the Lake NJ, and the John and Grace Soldoveri Foundation
Gold Sponsors: the Davino Family Foundation, Franklin Mutual Insurance, David and
Amanda Glass, The Sharpe Group of Oppenheimer, and Ultra-Poly Corporation
Silver Sponsors: Ashley Grace Builders, Jess and Ken Beckerman, Charley’s Tavern, Fulton Bank, Ken and Mary Kennon, Kennon Surveying Services, Bruce Koerner Cranes & Equipment, Mt. Olive Veterinary Hospital, Nisivoccia, Bill and Randi Strauss
Bronze Sponsors: Sandler Training, Tuli Enterprises, and Al Hutchins Excavating
Speaking of raffle tickets, we’d like to take this opportunity to congratulate this year’s six Split-the-Pot raffle winners! We appreciate, also, the generosity of everyone from the community who purchased a ticket and helped us sell out of all 300 tickets!
1st Place Bill and Lisa H. (078)
2nd Place (2 winners) Sarah S. (058) and Arlene T. (096)
3rd Place (3 winners) Eric and Kristine W. (268), Wade M. (041), and Hopatcong Elks Lodge #782 Veterans Committee (009)
Kristine W. was also the winner of our Lucky Life Vest raffle, taking home a life vest covered in scratch-off tickets. We can’t wait to hear if one of them is a big winner!
Finally, we want to thank YOU! Whether you attended the gala, volunteered your time, bid on an item, sponsored the event, made a donation, placed an ad in our journal, bought a raffle ticket, or helped us spread the word, we are truly grateful to our growing community of supporters who are passionate about protecting and improving Lake Hopatcong. Cheers to you!
Here’s a look back at our very floral, very fabulous garden party gala at Stone Water on Thursday, July 17 as captured by the talented Ulla Vinkman…can’t wait to see you again next year for another impactful night supporting New Jersey’s largest lake!
