Garden party for dogs and cats

COEUR d’ALENE — As Linda Cooter-Clark walked the grounds of Hagadone Gardens at Casco Bay, she said what many were likely thinking:

“I wish I had a house like this.”

The Coeur d’Alene woman was one of more than 300 who attended the “Finish the Journey” fundraiser for the nonprofit Companions Animal Center.

Guests arrived after a Lake Coeur d’Alene Cruises boat ride on a sunny Tuesday evening. They were greeted by leaders in the Hagadone Corp. family, along with Rick Rasmussen, CAC’s capital campaign chair.

“Welcome. Thank you for being here,” he said often while offering handshakes and smiles.

Friendly servers stood by with trays carrying glasses of wine and other beverages, while hors d'oeuvres and open bars waited beyond the main house.

Spectacular scenery was the main attraction.

The Hagadone family has owned the Casco Bay property for more than 50 years. It consists of over 500 acres and 1,000 feet of sand beach.

Hagadone Gardens features more than 300,000 plants, including annuals, perennials, evergreens and deciduous trees. It is the most-extensive private garden in the Northwest.

Paths throughout offer easy access to seating areas to admire waterfalls and streams and stroll on perfectly manicured, lush green lawns.

Some guests listened to music by Robert Vaughn, while others explored a TeePee Village just up the main driveway. A few stayed near the lakefront pools.

Annie Holmberg of Coeur d’Alene had just a few words to describe her visit to Hagadone Gardens.

“Serenity. Peacefulness. Friendliness. My kind of living,” she said, laughing.

She was glad to contribute to the capital campaign.

“It goes way back, wanting to take care of animals because they take care of me,” she said.

Dan and Cynthia Gase recently moved to Coeur d’Alene and were looking to support different causes that at the same time offered a chance to have fun and meet people.

They found the Finish the Journey fundraiser at Hagadone Gardens did exactly that.

“To experience this property is exciting,” Dan Gase said. “This is a wonderful opportunity to support a good cause.”

Debbie Jeffries, CAC executive director, was delighted with how the evening went for the organization formerly known as the Kootenai Humane Society.

She said the Hagadones not only donate their property for the annual affair, but take care of the food, drinks and boat rides.

“Its just a fantastic event,” she said.

The big crowd was equally pleasing.

“It just shows you how many people support the animal center,” she said. “Everybody loves animals.”

CAC’s new 22,000-square-foot shelter on 10 acres on Atlas Road opened earlier this year. The new digs, bright with large windows, have capacity for about 70 cats and 60 dogs. Originally pegged at $6.5 million, COVID drove up construction costs to $8 million.

A capital campaign has brought in $6.1 million.

Hopes were high that Tuesday’s fundraiser would provide a big boost.

"We’re ready to bring it home,” Rasmussen said. “We’re right down the home stretch.”

Cooter-Clark hopes they make it.

She recently visited CAC’s new home and said it was “the best building I’ve ever been in for animals."

When she heard about the Finish the Journey fundraiser, she snapped up one of the $200 tickets.

“Why not?” she said. “I’m so glad to be here. This is absolutely gorgeous.”

She said someone told her they had searched the property for a weed.

“They couldn't find one,” she said.