Leelanau Conservancy holds picnic, silent auction Aug. 4
From staff reports
The Leelanau Conservancy welcomes everyone to attend its annual Friends Picnic and Auction on Thursday, Aug. 4. The event will be held at the Kalchik-Newton Farm overlooking the Manitou Islands, located along Jelinek Road in Leelanau Township.
The picnic begins at 5 p.m. and features a silent auction, as well as pre-picnic field trips, a much-loved “Kids Tent” supervised by staff from the Leelanau Children’s Center and a special program. A local foods-focused meal will be served, along with local wines. Tickets are $35 for adults until August 1, when the price goes up to $40. Tickets for Kids Tent children under 12 are just $5.
You don’t have to attend to purchase a raffle ticket for a state-of-the-art camping equipment package valued at over $2,000. Raffle tickets are now on sale at the Conservancy office or may be purchased through the website, LeelanauConservancy.org, where you can also view the Glamping package items. Only 100 tickets at $100 will be sold for the “Glamping” package and the winner will be drawn at the event.
“There’s no place like Leelanau, and the Kalchik-Newton Farm is a spectacular location to celebrate our collective efforts to preserve what we love about it,” says executive director Tom Nelson. The farm was preserved in 2004 with a conservation easement by owners Roger and Coco Newton, who are graciously hosting the Picnic on their land for the third time.
Nelson expects around 800 people to attend the event. Among the pre-picnic field trips are unique tours of private protected lands that the public normally can’t access, including a tour he will lead from the Picnic site.
Choice Auction items include a several dinners and cooking classes with local chefs, a weekend stay at a New York City penthouse including dinner for four at one of Mario Batali’s restaurants, and a guided fly fishing float on the Boardman with renowned fly rod-maker Bob Summers. “As always, wonderful donors have donated a lot unique, can’t-buy-it Leelanau experiences that will make for a pretty unique silent auction,” adds Nelson.
New this year: special tables for newcomers, fun photo opportunities and a “Match to Win” game where participants will be entered into a drawing for the always popular “Leelanau Local” basket door prize. A short program with awards will round out the evening.
“While the Annual Picnic & Auction is an important fundraiser for us,” says Nelson. “It’s really about coming together once a year with everyone who cherishes the Leelanau Peninsula. It’s about celebrating this amazing place and its truly wonderful people.”
To view auction items, order tickets, buy raffle tickets and download the picnic flyer visit LeelanauConservancy.org or call 231-256-9665.
