Witches and Warlocks Convene at Marco Island Historical Society Gala

If one way to judge the success of a gala is the buy-in on costumery, the 2023 Marco Island Historical Society Gala was an overwhelming success. Although they were not casting spells, those dressed as Witches and Warlocks far outnumbered those in smart casual attire among the record crowd of 193 who filled the dining room and terrace of the newly renovated clubhouse at the Island Country Club Saturday night.

“It was fantastic,” said Patricia Rutledge, CEO of the Marco Island Historical Society (MIHS). “I didn’t know what to expect. You never really know how people are going to respond, but they responded in spades. Actually the people who were not in costume were the exception, not the rule. The whole point was for people to come and have fun and support the historical society.”

In addition to pre-dinner hors d’oeuvres and a delicious dinner of filet mignon, attendees enjoyed a variety of entertainment. The caricature artists may have been the most popular attraction. The artists showed a flair for capturing the spirit of their subjects.

"There was a line for the caricature artists,” Rutledge noted. "A number of people told me the magician was just incredible, that you wouldn’t believe his sleight of hand."

Rutledge was also happy with the LED dance show by Elena Romantsova that had attendees hooting and hollering in approval. 

“We had surprises for people,” Rutledge said. “Things like the dancer with the light dress. She first performed that dance at Milan Fashion Week in 2017. She also qualified for America Has Talent with that dance.”

Rutledge decided to change things up by producing a high quality video for the event in lieu of speeches.

“We’ve been working on the video since July,” she said. "I wanted a different way to tell our story, rather than me standing up there as I do every year. We’ll use that video in a lot of other ways to get our message across."

Rutledge also recognized the job the country club staff performed.

"The Island Country Club is fabulous,” she said. "Bid Bakkar, who is the chief operating officer, and the staff there, could not have been more welcoming, more flexible, more supportive. They did everything they could to help us make the event special. We used that gorgeous outdoor terrace to set up our games outside, which people loved."

As far as the financial success of the event goes, Rutledge said they’re still “ticking the tying” to get an exact count. 

“As far as I can see we did well,” she said.

She said the auction finale was especially pleasing. Bidders were encouraged to turn in their bidding paddles for a $100 donation. A winning paddle was chosen to receive a $3,000 necklace.

“We had 60 paddles that went into the buckets,” Rutledge said. “This was all about raising money for the museum at the end of the day."