Photo by Jon Anderson
Hoover Service Club members talk next to the Christmas tree their organization decorated at the 2022 Ho Ho Hoover-Randle Open House at the Hoover-Randle Home and Gardens in Hoover, Alabama, on Sunday, Dec. 4, 2022.
The Hoover Helps nonprofit, which provides food and clothing for needy children, is holding its fourth annual Ho Ho Hoover fundraiser at the Hoover-Randle Home and Gardens on Dec. 2-3.
It’s a two-part event. There’s “An Old-Fashioned Christmas” VIP party from 7 to 10 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 2, and the Ho Ho Hoover-Randle Open House from 2 to 5 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 3.
The VIP party is designed to be a come-and-go festive celebration with cocktail attire, food provided by Tre Luna Catering and cocktails by Sweet Home Alabama Spirits and Tito’s.
Guests can purchase $50 raffle tickets for a chance to win a Van Winkle 12-Year Lot B bottle of bourbon (valued at about $1,000) or $25 tickets with an opportunity to choose surprise jewelry items from a “bling tree, with there being at least one premium jewelry item from the tree.
There also will be $25 tickets for a “wine pull,” in which guests pay $25 to pull out a bottle of wine without knowing what kind of wine it is. The plan is to have at least one premium bottle of wine in the mix, Hoover Helps co-founder Greg Bishop said.
This year, there also will be a Barbie-themed Christmas tree with opportunities for additional $25 donations to Hoover Helps, Co-founder and Executive Director Donna Bishop said.
Hoover Helps also is having a silent auction that includes items such as a Jack Daniel’s Distillery barrel signed by the distiller and a day at the distillery in Lynchburg, Tennessee, that includes lunch, a tour and whiskey tasting. Other auction items include a number of high-end bourbon bottles, coolers, a wakeboard, a Republic National Distributing Co. neon sign and a stay at the Hyatt Regency Birmingham — The Wynfrey Hotel.
An online link to auction items should be available soon at hooverhelps.org. Participants do not have to be present to win. The auction is scheduled to close at 9 p.m. Saturday, and the raffle tickets for the Van Winkle bourbon will cut off at 9:30 p.m., Greg Bishop said. Tickets to the VIP party cost $55.
On Sunday, guests can tour the Hoover-Randle Home and Gardens, see at least 10 Christmas trees decorated by nonprofits and other organizations in Hoover in ways that identify their missions. Participating groups include the Hoover Service Club, Hoover Fire Department, Hoover City Schools Foundation, Hoover Beautification Board, Hoover Historical Society, Hoover Arts Council, Leadership Hoover, Hoover-AHEAD and Hoover Helps.
Last year, the Riverchase Career Connection Center won the People’s Choice award and first place from the judges, while the Hoover Service Club placed second, and the Hoover Arts Council came in third. A tree from Hoover High School was voted to have the best craftsmanship.
There also will be entertainment by the dance teams and choirs from Hoover and Spain Park high schools and desserts provided by Publix, Target, Jubilee Joe’s Cajun Seafood Restaurant, Biscuit Belly, Walk-On’s Sports Bistreaux and Michelle’s Chocolate Laboratory. Ms. Senior Alabama Kathy Paiml also is scheduled to attend.
Tickets for the Sunday open house are $15, but children ages 12 and younger get in free. Parking and free shuttles will be available at the nearby Shades Mountain Community Church.
Last year’s two-day Ho Ho Hoover event made about $10,000, Greg Bishop said.
Tickets for the VIP event are available at eventbrite.com/e/hoover-helps-old-fashioned-christmas-vip-party-tickets-738197607917.
Tickets for the Sunday open house are available at eventbrite.com/e/ho-ho-hoover-randle-open-house-tickets-747395198157.
