The Friends of Sengekontacket will be holding a fundraiser on Wednesday, July 27, at the Martha’s Vineyard Rod and Gun Club in Edgartown. The event, named “An Evening on the Pond,” will be held from 6 to 9 pm.
“We chose this location because of its proximity to Sengekontacket Pond and its ability to highlight the exact area Friends of Sengekontacket is trying to protect,” Friends of Sengekontacket executive board member Chris Hall told The Times in an email. “Because Friends of Sengekontacket is an Island-based environmental charity, our night will feature locally grown and prepared food. Appetizers from Sweet Neck Oysters, Jaime Hamlin & Sons Catering, Edgartown Meat and Fish, Black Sheep, Net Result, Noman’s, and Pie Chicks will be provided.”
The fundraiser will hold both live and silent auctions.
The live auction will showcase a “beautiful and rare” Ray Ellis print titled “Sengekontacket Morning.” Additionally, three gates on State Beach will be auctioned. The three winners will have their names featured on the entrance for a year. Hall told The Times these entrances will be ones closer to Little Bridge in Oak Bluffs.
Among the silent auctions, there will be “seven unique Sengekontacket Pond–based experiences.” These include a four-person fishing lesson with a fly fishing fly box and flies from Kismet, a beach picnic for four donated and delivered by Noman’s to a State Beach entrance of your choice, a half-hour family photo session on State Beach donated by Nicole Friedler Brisson Photography, Island Spirit Kayak Sengekontacket paddleboard adventure for eight people with snacks included, and more.
There will also be a featured art installation called “Nipsy 2,” a large shark that has been constructed from beach trash and nip bottles, that Hall put together. The shark was made with trash that Hall, fellow board member Martha Klein, and Island Spirit Kayak owner Chick Stapleton collected over the summer.
“Her sole purpose is to highlight the ongoing problem of litter and its effect on our environment, both locally and globally,” Hall said. He also said the shark is a great way to teach, particularly to children, about the amount of trash that accumulates in the environment.
All proceeds from the fundraiser will go toward funding the programs and research currently being conducted by Friends of Sengekontacket. Seating is limited, so Hall recommends RSVPing as soon as possible. To reserve your seat, visit bit.ly/3NAfI0y. For those who cannot attend but would still like to donate to the Friends of Sengekontacket, visit their website and click the donation button at sengekontacket.org.