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| Hans Lenzlinger and Carla Stadel |
MONROE — The idea hatched 23 years ago for a fun, summer evening event and it has grown into a successful fundraiser for a worthy cause.
New Glarus businessman Hans Lenzlinger recalls how the idea came about, “It was 1992 and I was a member of the Monroe Clinic’s board of directors. The president at the time, Bill Robichaux, challenged each of us to do something to benefit the hospital.”
Lenzlinger, owner of a mini-golf course and two restaurants in New Glarus, decided to put the enterprises together, and the event known as Dinner & “A Little Golf” was born.
A lively round of mini-golf at Swissland Miniature Golf Course is followed by a gourmet meal at the New Glarus Hotel. The first year, the event raised around $5,000. In 2015, over $50,000 was raised.
The growth of the event has included the addition of both a silent and live auction, which has often benefitted from Lenzlinger’s ties to the University of Wisconsin athletic department. Past head coaches of both the men’s basketball and football teams have attended and donated auction items.
Lenzling remembers the year University of Wisconsin Football Coach Bret Bielema donated football tickets to be auctioned off. Two people were bidding furiously on the two available tickets.
Bielema agreed to get two more tickets, and match the bids, if each party agreed on the highest bid of $2,000. This brought the total for tickets to $4,000, and with Bielema’s match a total of $8,000 was raised.
Over the years, Lenzlinger and former Monroe Clinic Hospice Director Carla Stadel recall some logistical ups and downs, including the year a storm threatened the outdoor dinner, which was to be held at Chalet Landhaus. “We moved the whole event to the New Glarus Hotel in about two hours,” Stadel says.
Two things about the event have remained the same over the years: the New Glarus Hotel and Chalet Landhaus have donated both event space and food to benefit the event and all proceeds are used to benefit Monroe Clinic Hospice programs for both patients and families.
This year’s event is on Tuesday, June 28 at Swissland Miniature Golf Course and the New Glarus Hotel in New Glarus. Golf begins at 4:30 p.m. and dinner at 6:30 p.m. For more information, or to purchase tickets, contact Sue Wegman at 608-324-1264.