U.P. welcomes celebrities for golf outing soon

MARQUETTE — We’re just over a week away from the biggest event of the summer – the U.P. Celebrity Golf Classic and the staff at Beacon House is working overtime to get everything in tip top shape before the big day.

The golf outing takes 10 months of planning and raises between $100,000 and $150,000 for the Beacon House, which covers about a third of its yearly operating costs. This year lots of familiar faces will be returning to hit the green on Marquette’s Heritage and Greywalls golf courses next week, like hosts Steve Mariucci and Jay Feely. But there will also be a lot of newcomers making their first appearance at the classic. Beacon House CEO Mary Dowling says though it’s a lot of hard work to organize the outing, it is well worth it.

“Every year we look forward to this as much as our golfers do because it’s a way for us to get up close and personal with all of our donors,” said Mary Dowling, Beacon House CEO. “It’s a way for us to say thank you for supporting us all year long. Everyone who participates, they know they’re making a huge difference – they’re keeping our doors open, they’re keeping our lights on, and they’re keeping us welcoming people from across the U.P. when they need us.”

Each course has opportunities to win some big prizes, like a vacation to Pebble Beach and a chance to win a million dollars with a hole-in-one. And golfers will receive a swag bag filled with various goodies, like a custom-made polo and Beacon House sunglasses. The event kicks off next Wednesday with a golf clinic with the main event at 10am on Thursday.