What do you get when you combine, imagination, wine, food and an historic harborside location? Give up? You get the Great Community Picnic. This fundraiser has become an annual staple of summertime fun hosted by the Mattapoisett Land Trust and the Mattapoisett Museum. This year the event is scheduled for Thursday, August 3, at 5:30 pm at the Munro Preserve at Mattapoisett Harbor.
As museum board member Jennifer McIntire recalls, in 2015, “It began when Mike (Huguenin, president of the MLT) suggested we find new avenues for collaboration between the historical society (aka the Mattapoisett Museum) and the land trust.” One idea the museum board explored was a clambake, but “there were too many mollusk allergies and aversions.” However, the concept of bringing the two groups together was embraced.
Then a board member of the museum, Chris Demakis, shared a recent event he had attended in Fairhaven, a “dinner en blanc.” Subcommittees from both organizations met to begin preliminary planning. While the en blanc concept was dropped, the food aspect evolved into a community picnic.
Tickets were sold for tables of 10 or smaller seating, and participants received a table they could view as a blank canvas. Decorating was highly encouraged. With imaginations set free, all manner of decorations from pirate themes to elegant floral arrangements arrived at Munro Preserve. As the years have gone by, the decorative fun returns each year. There has even been a group that makes its own fascinator hats fit for queens.
Music is also part of the ticket price. This year, entertainment will be organized by Seth Assar. And there will be oysters. Three local growers, Dale Leavitt, Mike Ward and Bob Field, will provide this finger food. A small fee for each shelled beauty is expected.
McIntire shared that from a historical perspective, picnics and clambakes have long been part of the Mattapoisett summer scene. She said there are numerous old photos in the museum memorializing such events. Think, ladies in white linen dresses and men in straw hats.
McIntire went on to say that although the event is a fundraiser for the two organizations, it is not earmarked for specific purposes. “The event is more of a “fun-raiser,” she said, adding that these are two exceptional nonprofit organizations and that the picnic helps to raise awareness. “It’s a fun, friendly, inclusive event.”
The price of admission includes tables, chairs, linens, a great location and live music. The fee structure is groups of four $160, groups of six $240, groups of eight $320 and groups of 10 $400. New this year: Single tickets for $40 will be available. Singles will be seated together. For more information, visit Mattapoisetmuseum.org or mattlandtrust.org.
By Marilou Newell