Letter to the Editor: Successful 58th Annual Door County House and Garden Walk

The Door County Medical Center Auxiliary would like to thank everyone for the huge success of the 58th Annual Door County House and Garden Walk which was held on Tuesday, July 31. The Walk is the Auxiliary’s signature fundraising event each year. We raised approximately $54,000 from the event which will be donated to the Door County Medical Center Skilled Nursing and Hospice Care Project. This is the largest donation raised in the Walk’s history. Thank you committee members, volunteers, home owners, sponsors, artists, master gardeners, ticket outlets, local businesses, and participants who helped make the Walk so successful.

Thank you homeowners for opening your homes for this great cause:  Highlands Home, C-Side Home, Maple Landing Home, Nature’s Window Home, and Crosswinds Cottage. Without your generosity there would be no Walk.

The Walk was made possible by our supportive sponsors who numbered more than 50 Door County businesses. Thank you so much!

Thanks as well to our ticket outlets who advertised the event to our Community and beyond:  Door County Coffee and Tea Co., Door County Medical Center Gift Shop, Door County Visitor Bureau, Jerry’s Flowers, Main Street Market, and Nicolet Bank.

This year’s Walk also featured three Door County artists, Rick Brawner, Judi Ekholm, and Sarah Schaller, as well as several master gardeners. Walk goers enjoyed seeing their creative skills in action, and we are grateful for them adding such a unique experience to our Walk.

Thank you to Woodwalk Gallery who hosted our Pop-Up Shop.  The Gallery featured over 70 local and regional artists. Also on hand were many local artisans providing an amazing array of hand-crafted items and tasty sweets. They were a wonderful addition.

A new item this year which contributed to our success was Wild Tomato’s “Donation Creation, The Thai Pie” pizza. Throughout the month of July, Wild Tomato donated $1 to the House and Garden Walk for each Donation Creation pizza sold at both of their locations.

Over 140 volunteers, mostly Auxiliary members along with community members, graciously guided walkers through the selected homes, directing them to special features in the homes that they might have otherwise missed. Thank you for a splendid job.

And finally, we are so fortunate to live in a Community that has embraced this Walk for 58 straight years. We cannot thank you enough for your support and participation.  

Cheryl Speer

Sturgeon Bay, Wis.