The Martha’s Vineyard Fishermen’s Preservation Trust announced in its newsletter the Meet the Fleet event will be returning in person to Menemsha. The event will be held on Thursday, August 4, from 3 to 7 pm. The trust is looking for sponsors to raise funds from the event.
“This will be the first time Meet the Fleet is back since COVID,” Shelley Edmundson, executive director of the trust, told The Times in an email.
Programs for the event include a tour of Mystic Seaport Museum’s eastern-rig digger Roann and other vessels, music by Dock Dance Band, a raw bar offered by Clambulance, various types of demonstrations and competitions, and more.
Sponsors can have their “company logo, family name, or a nonprofit name of your choice” on a banner at the event. There are four sponsorship levels: the $500 mackerel level for a 2- by 2-foot banner, the $1,000 striper level for a 3- by 2-foot banner, the $2,000 fluke level for a 4- by 2-foot banner, and the $5,000 tuna level for a 7- by 3-foot banner. “The sponsorships are the main way we make money at this event, since it is free, so sponsorships really make a huge difference,” Edmundson said.
Edmundson said the trust is “very excited to bring Meet the Fleet back.”
“It is such a fun event. Coming together to celebrate our working waterfronts, fishermen, and Island seafood on the docks in Menemsha reminds us of how important commercial fishing is to our Island culture and heritage,” she said. “This event really gives us a chance to celebrate the fishermen who catch the seafood we enjoy, learn about what it takes to keep a waterfront working — infrastructure, Coast Guard, environmental police, seafood markets, and more.”
To become a sponsor, contact the trust at mvfishermen@gmail.com or 508-687-0344. Edmundson recommends those interested in becoming a sponsor to let the trust know by Wednesday, July 20.