Vicki Culver, left, names Mary Lou Land as the new 2009 honorary mayor of Lehigh Acres Thursday night at the Lehigh Acres Spring Festival. The race to be honorary mayor raised $7,993 for Lehigh Community Services. Photo by Mel Toadvine

Lehigh Acres has a new honorary mayor.

She’s Mary Lou Land, the activities director at the Majestic Golf Club. She was named the new honorary mayor of Lehigh Acres Friday night on the giant outdoors stage at Veterans Park before a crowd of about 300 people.

A giant check was presented to Charlotte Rae Nicely, executive director of Lehigh Community Services, from the funds collected from four candidates running for honorary mayor this year.

The check totaled $7,993, about $2,000 more than last year’s fundraiser.

Others who were running for honorary mayor included Dr. Alaa El-Gendy, Bob Garrett, and Dewey Tyler.

Half of the money raised by Land goes to Hope Hospice and the rest to Lehigh Community Services.

The crowd went wild when it was announced that land had raised the most money. She is well-known in Lehigh and well liked by many who know her from her work at Majestic Golf Club on Homestead Rd.

She was dressed in a stunning green dress and was wearing color sunglasses when Spring Festival Committee President Vicki Culver made the announcement naming the winner.

Land threw up her hands in surprise.

The person coming in second was Bob Garrett a disc jockey on a morning radio program in Fort Myers. Coming in third was El-Gendy, a physician and sleep specialist in Lehigh.

Land said she raised most of her money from a car show she held in January. People who came made donations to her campaign to be the honorary mayor.

Land’s responsibilities as honorary mayor will be to attend public events in Lehigh such as official openings and ribbon cuttings and other events.

“It’s a surprise,” Land said. “I can’t believe it … I just can’t believe it.”

Two sisters flew in from out of town to be at the event. They are Louise Emberger and Charlene Logan. After she was named honorary mayor, several people ran to the stage to give her hugs. She was given a sash naming her the honorary mayor and a bouquet of flowers. People like Ernie Hartman, chairman of the Lehigh Spring Festival, and William Hoppe, a member of the committee and energetic worker at the Festival grounds, were among those who raced to the stage to congratulate her.

Nicely said she was very happy with the amount received.

“I just didn’t know how much we would receive. This money goes to help the people of Lehigh so this amount of money in these hard economic times is wonderful,” she said. Nicely said she believes the amount is about $2,000 more than last year.

“With times like they are, I didn’t know if it would keep the donations low, but this is just wonderful news for all of Lehigh,” Nicely said.

Land raised a total of $5,500. Garrett raised $3803; El-Gendy raised $1,020 and Tyler raised $220. Those who ran could share half of what they raised to go to another charity with the other half going to Lehigh Community Services. In some cases, all of the proceeds went to the social services agency.

Land will ride in the parade today down Homestead Rd. The parade was set to begin at 11 a.m. and the rest of the day Veterans Park will be filled with a few thousand people taking part in the last day of nine-day festival.