LYNN — Four Winds Pub & Grill, 265 Broadway, will again sponsor a Celebrity Bartender Night to benefit Item Santa. The Santa Island fundraising party will be Thursday, Dec. 20, from 6 p.m. to midnight.
Pub owner Patrick DeBoever will donate a portion of the proceeds to Item Santa, and all bartenders’ tips will go to the charity, which, for 52 years, has helped make Christmas brighter for local people in need. Hors d’oeuvres and snacks will be served at 7 p.m.
CC Yanakakis will serve as DJ and said all donations for song requests will be given to Item Santa.
David J. Solimine Sr., who has organized the Santa Island program every December for many years, thanked DeBoever and the Four Winds staff for continued support. “Each year this event has been a big success,” Solimine said. For Santa Island, a large group of volunteers stand at traffic islands on Broadway and collect donations from motorists.
This year’s celebrity bartenders include Sen. Brendan Crighton; City Councilor Brian LaPierre; Charles Gaeta, executive director of Lynn Housing Authority and Neighborhood Development; Bill Macdonald of the Friendly Knights of Saint Patrick; John J. Nerich Jr. of the Boston Red Sox; Lisa Nerich, Lynn Parks and Recreation department head; Jay Richards, dressed as Santa; and David Solimine Jr. of Solimine Funeral Homes.
To donate to Item Santa, clip the coupon in The Item and mail it, along with your check, to The Item Salvation Army Santa, P.O. Box 5, Lynn, MA 01903. You can visit itemsanta.org to make a donation online.
All donations are listed in Item print editions through December and into 2019, along with a brief message from each donor, if desired.
Those interested in signing up to collect at Santa Island or any business willing to sell stockings should contact David Solimine Sr. or Joel Solimine at 781-595-1492.
NOTE: The application period for aid from Item Santa has closed and The Item does not process applicants. All questions about the program and distribution of gifts should be directed to Salvation Army at 781-598-0673.
