Following a three-year absence due to the pandemic, Hill House is bringing two popular annual events back to the neighborhood next month – the Fall FUNdraiser, as well as the Hill-O-Ween Party.
In the tradition of past offerings like Opa!, Havana Nights, and Oktoberfest, Hill House will hold its annual Fall FUNdraiser on Friday, Oct. 21, from 7 to 10 p.m. at Alibi in the Liberty Hotel at 215 Charles St.
This year’s event theme is “Breaking Free,” which “marries” the history of the Liberty Hotel, once the site of the Charles Street Jail, with a Wild West sensibility to “sort of capitalize on an outlaw-bandit kind of thing,” said Katy Keches, director of development and marketing for Hill House.
“It’s been three long years, so it’s really wonderful to bring this event back,” added Keches. “I’ve also only been here since May, so I’m really excited to see it.”
(Hill House’s last fall fundraiser took place on Oct. 4, 2019, at Committee in the Seaport.)
This year’s event will include Blackjack and Roulette, as well as prizes and country music. Guests can expect an adults-only night out with an open bar offering specialty cocktails and hors d’oeuvres, with all event proceeds going to support your “backyard in the city.” Guests are also encouraged to dress festively, and to get in the mood for the event by donning cowboy boots and hats, along with other Western wear, said Keches.
This year’s Fall FUNdraiser also has a “devoted committee of Hill House families bringing this event to the next level,” which comprises nine couples, added Keches.
Hill House and the committee are putting together “exciting and exclusive” prize packages for the event, including a birthday extravaganza at Hill House; a collection of “rare and unique” bourbons, whiskeys, and tequilas; a self-care spa package from LexRX on Charles Street; golf outings; and “exclusive Western wear,” said Keches.
The Fall FUNdraiser is Hill House’s largest fundraiser of the year, with an ambitious goal of raising $130,000 – 10 percent of the local community center’s annual operating budget, she added.
Tickets for the Fall FUNdraiser are $300 each, with sponsorship opportunities starting at $1,000. (In appreciation of their generosity, sponsors will be invited to a “special sponsors night” on Thursday, Oct. 13, at Helen’s Leather Shop on Charles Street, according to Keches.)
Meanwhile, Hill House is also bringing back its annual Hill-O-Ween Party for local families and children on Monday, Oct. 31, from 2:30 to 4 p.m. at the Mt. Vernon Street Firehouse. This event will feature crafts, games, snacks, and a halloween’themed tableau perfect for a family picture, along with prizes for best costume, best family costume, and most crafty costume, respectively.
Games will include a fortune teller, pumpkin chucking, and a Hole-o-ween in one gold game where participants put the ball into a pumpkin, while “paint a pumpkin” will be among the craft offerings, added Keches.
The Hill-O-Ween Party is free and open to the community.
Visit hillhouseboston.org for more information on both events.