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Created: January 19 2016

FORT LAUDERDALE, FL – The Historic Stranahan House Museum kicked off the new year with the sold out Second Annual Holiday Hangover fundraiser. Guests enjoyed food, specialty drinks, house tours hosted by costumed docents, pirates and a raffle with prizes unique to Fort Lauderdale.

Co-chaired by Ashley Boxer and Mike Gossman, Holiday Hangover raised more than $7,000 for Stranahan House’s education and historic preservation initiatives, including reduced-rate and free school programs for local students. Holiday Hangover’s event planning committee consisted of Alyse Gossman, Stephan Greco, Maggie Gunther, April Kirk, Mike Lessne, Peter Neirouz, Mitch Taylor and Ashley Turner.

“We want to thank everyone that attended, especially our sponsors and vendors,” said April Kirk, executive director of the Stranahan House. “Holiday Hangover is a great way to bring our community together to celebrate the New Year and collaborate with the one-of-a-kind businesses in our own back yard.”

Among the local businesses sharing their edible wares were Gino's Italian American Meat Market & Deli, Yummy Chori, Temple Street Eatery, SuViche, JP’s Chocolate Shoppe, Bob Roth’s New River Groves, LauderAle, Tastebuds Catering, Temptations Catering & Event Planning and Smoke BBQ.

Additionally, BlueFoot Pirate Adventures sailed into Holiday Hangover with its pirate ship and first mates, who welcomed guests aboard their vessel and donated a raffle item for a boat tour on the city’s numerous waterways. CycleParty was on-site allowing guests to test their quadracycle and learn about their Fort Lauderdale tours.

“All raffle items were representative of businesses and cultural institutions native to Fort Lauderdale, whose foundations were laid more than 115 years ago with Frank Stranahan’s arrival on the New River,” said Kirk. “As we embrace 2016, we wanted to uphold the values that Frank and Ivy maintained over a century ago – supporting each other and strengthening the neighborhood we share for the benefit and growth of our community.”

Featured raffle items included tours of the area from CycleParty, admittance and memberships to local museums and cultural establishments, a ‘heart of Fort Lauderdale’ Valentine’s Day package and a 25-person private party at the Historic Stranahan House Museum.  

Spirits, wine and water were provided by Premier Beverage and William Grant & Sons Distillers; Memorial Healthcare System hosted the photo booth; the beer garden was sponsored by Moore Stephens Lovelace; dockside desserts were sponsored by Veritext Legal Solutions; and entertainment was sponsored by EDSA and Wells Fargo and provided by Chris Monteleone from Sosos.

Festive Fellow sponsors included GrayRobinson, PA, Tripp Scott, Fertig & Gramling and Dutton Real Estate Services. Additional sponsors of Holiday Hangover included Northern Trust, Chica Boom Events, and Premier Digital Events.

About Historic Stranahan House and Museum
The Stranahan House was built in 1901, when Broward County was no more than a bleak southern frontier supposedly unsuited for human habitation. The existing residents were the Seminoles who traveled down the New River to Frank Stranahan’s trading post to do business. Over the years as Fort Lauderdale grew and developed, the house became a post office, boarding house, restaurant and home to the “Founding Father” and “First Lady” of Fort Lauderdale – Ivy and Frank Stranahan. Today it stands as the oldest house in Fort Lauderdale and an epicenter of Broward County’s long and fascinating history.