Whispers of the Past: A Thank You and Sneak Peek into the Future
A huge thank you to the community for making our Whispers of the Past event such a resounding success! We had an unforgettable time sharing the rich history of The Beacon and uncovering the mysteries of the spirits who may still roam its halls.
Modernizing Our Historic Venue
The Beacon - a former Woman’s Club clubhouse and building on the National Register of Historic Places - is 99 years old! Just like anything that is historic, there have had to be changes made over time to keep the building functional and operating as well as possible as time goes on. We try our best to honor the building while also making it functional in the modern world. We’ve made a few updates in the last year that help us serve our community and clients better.
Say “I do” to The Beacon
Welcome to wedding season! As we finish with graduations, Mother’s Day Tea and some fundraisers, wedding season is in full tilt. We love how busy the building is in May, and we love working with clients - some new and some we get to work with more than once! As we have entered our third wedding season, we have noticed some things about The Beacon that make it a great place to celebrate a wedding.
Spotlighting Our Smaller Spaces
We hope you’ve had a great 2024 so far and that you stayed warm in January. We are off to a great start with events, including weddings, quite a few legislative events and a bridal show! The first part of the year reminds us of how versatile our smaller rooms are. Our Founders Room and Library get used quite a bit throughout the year but are especially busy right now. They’re probably our most-used rooms in the building! Each one has their own unique feel, and our clients and guests love how beautiful they are. We think they deserve their own spotlight.
A New Year and a Look Back at the Numbers
We capped off 2023 with our New Year’s Eve in the Tropics party, dining with Bobby’s Food Co., dancing the night away with Top City Entertainment and sipping on drinks from our amazing bartenders at The Beacon. Happy New Year! As 2024 begins, we wanted to take a look back at 2023, reflecting on our highlights of the year, represented with some significant numbers.
The Family Behind The Beacon
As a locally owned and operated business, we usually get asked who is responsible for The Beacon. The short answer is the Stemler and Irick families. More specifically, Shelby and Courtney (who are sisters) are the majority owners of The Beacon, along with their husbands Nic and Chris …
More Than Just A Wedding Venue
Often, when people think about an event space, the assumption is that we mainly do weddings. While we do help host many weddings, and they tend to be our most detailed events that we help host, they are certainly not the only type of event that we help facilitate. In total, The Beacon has helped host about 350 events, over 50 of which were weddings. That leaves us with about 300 other events that we’ve helped facilitate in just over two years…
What Makes Our Venue Historic
If you have ever wondered what The Beacon was in its former lives, we are happy to share! We’ve had guests ask if it was a church, a school, a gym and several other things. The truth is it has a much more interesting story than that!
Why Choose The Beacon? Here’s Five Reasons
When planning an event, there are so many things to consider: the guest list, the theme, color choices, decorations and the list goes on. A major consideration for every event is location. Hosts have so many great choices in Topeka and the surrounding area, so, the question is, why is The Beacon a great choice for an event, large or small, formal or informal, wedding, quinceañera, or any other event? We have five great reasons choosing The Beacon is a must for your next event.
Five Must-Take Wedding Photos at The Beacon
As we get into our second wedding season, we’ve been looking back at photos from the first. And we’ve begun to notice a few things. Our building is nothing if not unique, built in the 1920s in the eclectic style as the Topeka Woman’s Club clubhouse. It has so many amazing backdrops for your wedding day photos, but we’ve found that there are a few favorites. Here are five spots in our venue that you must add to your shot list if you’re planning on having your wedding at The Beacon.
Welcome To Our Adventure
Hi there! We’re The Beacon, and we love to help people celebrate!
We are an owner team of four. Courtney Stemler and Shelby Irick are sisters, and their husbands, Chris Stemler and Nic Irick, are along for the ride. We each work together to organize, facilitate, and improve with each event that we help host…