A glass of wine, some good friends, a little music, a sunlit ocean and a cool breeze. It turns out that these are the secret ingredients to hosting a successful community picnic – if you add in oysters, of course.
The 200 or so residents who came to Mattapoisett’s first annual “Great Community Picnic” enjoyed this recipe for fun. A relaxed summer outing, the picnic was jointly hosted by the Mattapoisett Land Trust and the Mattapoisett Historical Society. Picnickers found themselves at Munro Preserve, seated at round tables and sipping wine as they looked over the idyllic seaside at the Mattapoisett Wharf. Laughter was in the air, and so was music, which drifted from a nearby flowery hollow. The smell of oysters hung in the air, and waitresses darted to and fro.
Land Trust President Mike Huguenin explained the joint venture between the two entities. Gesturing at Munro Preserve, he explained, “This used to be Barstow Shipyard, where the whaler Acushnet was launched.”
The historically-minded of us will recall that the Acushnet carried Herman Melville, who would later go on to write Moby Dick.
“So we always had that historical tie-in together,” Huguenin continued. “It was just figuring out what we could do together for the community, and to raise awareness.”
Historical Society President Jennifer McIntire said the picnic was harder to put together than one might expect.
“We knew we wanted to work together, so we formed a little committee with members of each organization,” said McIntire. “Then we tossed ideas around. A summer clambake seemed like a good choice,” she said, “but then some of us had allergies, so we couldn’t do that, either!”
Eventually, they decided that people could bring their own food, with appetizers and drinks made available.
The musicians, tucked away in a small clearing surrounded by purple flowers, added to the beautiful day. Boston-based band Glowbox played, as did Wareham native Grace Morrison. David Dunn of Marion and his band Huxster also joined in, strumming against the clinking of glasses and lapping waves.
The smiles and laughter, along with the crowd of over 200 gathered on the tiny preserve, would indicate that the picnic’s aim succeeded.
“It’s not really a fundraiser,” explained McIntire. “It’s an introduction to us [the Land Trust and the Historical Society], a chance to get to know us, and a chance for us to get on our own feet in terms of what we can do in the future. Today was meant to be a fun day, though.”
Huguenin agreed.
“We’d like to do more in the future,” said Huguenin. “The money we do raise today will be split between the Land Trust and the Historical Society. Today though, was more of a ‘fun’-raiser,” he said with a smile.
By Andrea Ray
