The 2026 version of Spring Lake Sparkle started at a chamber breakfast. Denise Kurdziel, executive director of Lilley Cares, told The Lakeshore that she met Maj. Penny Mungai of The Salvation Army there last year. They talked about families having trouble paying for groceries and holiday gifts. Kurdziel invited the Salvation Army to run a hot cocoa table at one Sparkle event, and the conversation kept going. When the Lilley Cares board met in July, she proposed a formal partnership, and the board approved it.
That meeting changed what the season is for. For its first five seasons, the money Sparkle raised went mostly to keeping Sparkle running. This year the lights on Savidge Street are working for someone else.
Five Seasons of Paying for the Lights
Sparkle started in 2020. Kurdziel told The Lakeshore that "people needed a reason to get outside and be together." It began as lights along Savidge Street. The Kickoff night came the following year, and events have been added every year since.
The early fundraisers paid for the show. When Lilley Cares announced a Sparkle fundraiser in 2024, it said the proceeds would cover upkeep on the lights, equipment rentals, and keeping attendees safe and comfortable. The 2025 Sparkle press release, for the fifth season, said much the same. Fundraiser money "directly funds these events" and covers materials, decor and operating costs, with all of it run by a small team of volunteers. That year Sparkle worked with the Village of Spring Lake to decorate the Epicurean Village Courtyard and Tanglefoot Park.
The fundraising calendar ran the same way. In 2025 that meant a Sparkle Soirée at Windermere House, a VIP happy hour at The Lilley Mansion B&B, a Celebrity Bartenders Night at Attwood's Kitchen & Drink, and a Lions watch party at Stan's Bar. Sparkle's guests were buying the decorations they came to see.
A $10,000 Goal That Leaves the Village
The Sparkle 2026 press release, dated Aug. 4, sets a new direction. Lilley Cares set a $10,000 goal to benefit The Salvation Army Grand Haven, and the money supports families in Spring Lake, Ferrysburg and Grand Haven. Maj. Penny Mungai and the Salvation Army team plan to be at every Sparkle fundraiser and event to explain where the money goes.
Kurdziel told The Lakeshore the focus is on two things, food and presents under the tree for children:
"Our donation helps the Salvation Army provide Christmas assistance and food pantry support, so a family doesn't have to choose between keeping the lights on and giving their kids a Christmas morning."
Her phrase "keeping the lights on" fits the change well. For five years Sparkle's lights were the expense. Now they draw the crowd that funds a household's electric bill. She also told The Lakeshore that "every dollar stays right here at home," since the Salvation Army already knows the families it serves.
One Courtyard Instead of a Spread-Out Map
The 2026 season is "reimagined around the Epicurean Village courtyard and The Temple Lounge." The press release calls it "a more intimate, community-centered gathering space." The kickoff page puts it more simply. Epicurean Village will be "ground zero" for the whole season.
The courtyard is a newer part of Savidge Street. MLive reported in 2019 that construction had begun that July on Kim VanKampen's $6 million mixed-use project at 110 W. Savidge St., with plans for apartments, two restaurants, retail space and offices. Today the Epicurean Village site describes dining, retail, office space and residential condos, and it links to coverage of Attwood's Kitchen & Drink, Grand Finale Bakeshop and Café, and Rafter's Rooftop.
The Temple Lounge is the season's indoor partner. Its own website describes a live-music venue and event rental space in a building constructed in the 1920s as a Masonic Temple. The Ottawa News Network reported that Chris Kettler bought the former temple building and that the Temple Lounge was his first time running a music venue. Temple Lounge dancers will perform during the Sparkle festivities.
With one main hub, the Salvation Army table is never far from the Santa line. That matters when the goal is a dollar figure.
The Calendar, With a Donation Point at Every Stop
The fundraisers that open the season were scheduled before the lights go on. The VIP Cocktail Party was set for Oct. 1 at the Lilley Mansion Bed and Breakfast, 113 S. Division St., with proceeds listed for Lilley Cares and the Tri-Cities Salvation Army. The Sparkle Soirée was set for Oct. 21 at Windermere House Spring Lake, 304 W. Savidge St.
Celebrity Bartender Night was set for Nov. 5 at Attwood's, with a $59 ticket that included two drink tickets and hors d'oeuvres. Kurdziel listed the bartenders for The Lakeshore: John Keating, retired Detroit Tigers and Red Wings broadcaster; Windermere House owner Claudia Kerr Bryant; Spring Lake Township Fire Chief John Stalzer; Township Supervisor Jerry Rabideau; and Brad and Alex Ashcraft of Maximum Water Safety.
The rest of the public season runs from late November into December:
| Date | Event | Time | Where | Cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sat., Nov. 28 | Sparkle Kickoff | 6–8 p.m. | Epicurean Village Courtyard, 110 W. Savidge St. | Free |
| Thu., Dec. 3 | Gingerbread House Decorating | 5–7 p.m. | Spring Lake Community Center, 15549 Cleveland St. | Free, RSVP requested |
| Thu.–Sat., Dec. 3–19 | Santa in the Workshop | 5–8 p.m. | Epicurean Village Courtyard | No price listed |
| Sat., Dec. 5 | Pancakes With Santa, breakfast | 9–11 a.m. | Spring Lake Community Center | $5 |
| Thu., Dec. 10 | Pancakes With Santa, dinner | 5–7 p.m. | Spring Lake Community Center | $5 |
| Thu., Dec. 17 | Spring Lake Choir Performance | 5–6 p.m. | Epicurean Village | No price listed |
The kickoff is the night to plan around. The event page promises a "Clark Griswold" style plugging-in of the courtyard lights, caroling, hot cocoa and music. Santa arrives on a Spring Lake fire truck and switches on the lights, and organizers plan to reveal this year's changes that night. Afterward, families are invited to The Temple Lounge for Christmas films, cocoa and cookies. Visit Grand Haven's listing adds local school choirs and gingerbread making to the evening.
The gingerbread night is led by Chefs Patrik and Jeremy of The Lilley Mansion. Organizers ask families to RSVP so a kit can be reserved. The Dec. 17 performance brings the Spring Lake Schools Choir to the courtyard for carols and hymns. Kurdziel also told The Lakeshore that Sparkle is adding a new event this year, Pancakes with a Mystery Guest.
How the Money Gets Collected
Lilley Cares made giving easy at the events themselves. Kurdziel told The Lakeshore that every event accepts donations in these ways:
- Scanning the Sparkle Venmo code
- Cash
- Credit card
- A check made out to Lilley Cares
She said every dollar goes toward the $10,000 goal for local families.
Businesses can sponsor at levels from $300 to $2,000. The packages range from recognition on social media and at the kickoff, to a table at events, to a treat table set up in the line to see Santa. Kurdziel says that line brings sponsors face to face with "hundreds of local families."
The House Behind the Nonprofit
Lilley Cares takes its name from a building with a long Spring Lake history. The Lilley Mansion's history page says Francis Lilley built the Second Empire-style house in 1876. MLive reported that the house was moved across Spring Lake on Aug. 6, 2019, then restored and reopened as a bed-and-breakfast. WZZM 13 reported that the owners, Robert Lopez and Patrick Roggenbau, founded Lilley Cares to support local charitable organizations. Lilley Cares describes its work as nonprofit partnerships, volunteer efforts and fundraising for third-party charities.
This year the group's Sparkle fundraising goes to a Salvation Army corps that serves families across the Tri-Cities. The full schedule and real-time updates are posted at springlakesparkle.com and on the Spring Lake Sparkle Facebook page.
We'll be on Savidge Street on Nov. 28 when Santa switches on the lights. If you'd like to talk over a hot cocoa about what this season on the Lakeshore means for your plans, Buffy Schichtel would love to hear from you. Schedule a Free Consultation whenever you're ready.