Imagine walking into an open house at 1 a.m. and being greeted just like it was in the middle of the day. That’s exactly what’s happening this weekend at the world’s longest open house. Ottawa real estate agent Lucas Smith is hosting a 73-hour marathon open house at a home on Axel Crescent in Stittsville and raising money for a good cause. “There are actually people who are breaking world records for longest open houses,” Smith said. For Smith, this isn’t just an open house. It’s a 73-hour marathon, with doors open day and night. “A lot of people have said, ‘So, if I show up at 1:00 in the morning, what happens?’” Smith said. “Well, you show up at 1:00 in the morning, the same thing as if you showed up at 10 a.m. It’s a marathon. And that’s sort of our requirement is to have the doors open and have everything working like a regular open house for 73 consecutive hours.” The goal is more than just to set a record. The event is raising money for Make-A-Wish Canada, an organization that grants life-changing wishes for children facing critical illnesses. “Being able to raise funds locally for Make-A-Wish has been the goal of the entire event. And our corporate sponsorship that’s come behind it. That’s the reason, right? It’s for the kids,” Smith said. Fundraising for the event is through corporate sponsors, but the public can also donate online. “Make-A-Wish Canada doesn’t receive any government funding. So, the only reason why we’re able to grant wishes is because of amazing supporters like Lucas Smith. And fundraisers like these,” said Taylor Hittner, senior development officer with Make-A-Wish. And the need is growing, with thousands of children still waiting for their turn. “Even though we’re granting more wishes than ever, we’re still seeing more of a need than ever,” Hittner said. “Currently, we have over 3,700 kids waiting for their wish to be granted across Canada.” To keep the doors open around the clock, the team is stocked with plenty of energy boosts. “We will have a ton of refreshments. Everything from Monster drinks to coffee to caffeine to anything that you could imagine for not only the team, but also people coming through,” Smith said. The record-breaking open house at 51 Axel Crescent in Stittsville starts at 4 p.m. Thursday evening and runs until 5 p.m. on Sunday.
