Thursday, October 1, 2026
"Bye, Helen."
"Great to meet you, Helen."
"See you next time, Helen."
As dozens of disguised participants walked out of Buoy Bar in Point Lookout, they only acknowledged each other in-character. At the Roper Walk, everyone in attendance comes dressed as the iconic TV personality Helen Roper from the 1970s sitcom "Three's Company," and the short-lived spin-off, "The Ropers" — with her iconic caftan dresses and bright red-haired wigs.
Nicole Koenig, a Point Lookout resident and recent breast cancer survivor, arranged the combination dress-up/bar crawl as a fundraiser for Hewlett House — a nonprofit based in Hewlett which provides moral and emotional support for people going through cancer treatments.
"At our event, all the ladies dress up in caftans and wigs," said Koenig. "And one of the things that they do at Hewlett House is provide wigs to women who've lost their hair. And I thought that was such a beautiful alignment."
Nearly 200 people showed up for the third annual Roper Walk — up from a few dozen in its first year. The squadron of supporters traveled across Point Lookout, making a total of five stops at bars and restaurants during three-hour event. Door prizes were raffled off at each venue, with more than 30 grand prizes raffled at the final stop. In total, the event raised close to $7,000 for the charity.
"When people are having a good time and having fun, and they're together and sharing the interest, and then add the compassion of the issue, that's what really counts," said Geri Barish, founder and executive director of Hewlett House. "You just are there to really do something for a great cause and have a good time at the same time."
