If you were at Harbor Days at Shipyard Park this weekend, you probably noticed something – there were a lot of people there. Probably more than ever, according to outgoing president of the Mattapoisett Lions Club Kim Ray.
“It was fantastic,” said Ray. “I mean, the crowd! It seemed like we had record crowds.”
With the fantastic weather and the quality of vendors this year, it is no wonder that so many turned out for the annual Mattapoisett seaside event.
The Lions and some vendors even ran out of certain items that they never ran out of before, said Ray, and the event was able to raise a lot of money for the Lions Club.
“Harbor Days is our biggest fundraiser of the year,” Ray said, which provides funding to local residents in need and also funds two scholarships for two local high school students each year.
During Sunday morning’s pancake breakfast, “The lines were snaked across the park,” said Ray. “We actually sold over 600 pancake breakfasts, which was a huge amount. It was just incredible! We couldn’t believe it.”
Volunteers from other area Lions Clubs helped out, including the president of the Fairhaven Lions Bill Moniz, and his wife Diane, who sold tickets at the festival.
“We had a lot of support,” said Ray. “And we had a lot of help with serving those breakfasts. A lot of guys on the grill.”
Harbor Days. It’s a year-long, many-months-of-work project, and this year it was led by Ray, who days ago passed the torch onto the new president, Amy Mello, who will oversee next year’s Harbor Days and all the planning leading it up it.
“It was a huge undertaking, but it’s always a great event,” said Ray.
Ray had words of kindness and thanks for the Mattapoisett Council on Aging for providing the shuttle service between the bowling alley parking lot and Shipyard Park, as well as for the police and fire.
Ray also extended a word of gratitude to Lindsey Merolla and Elise Parker, two ORR students who spent the weekend at Shipyard Park doing henna painting.
“They donated all their proceeds to the Lions Club because they wanted to help support a local organization,” said Ray. “They had lines all the time, so that was a great new little event.”
With local pageant winners, entertainment by the Showstoppers, rows and rows of vendors peddling arts and crafts, and all the food, “We had a lot going on at that park,” said Ray.
The Wanderer congratulates the Mattapoisett Lions Club for a successful Harbor Days and wishes Amy Mello all the best as she prepares for next year’s event!
By Jean Perry
ALWAYS ENJOYED HELPNG AT HARBOR DAYS WHEN I WAS A MEMBER. LIONS DO A GREAT SERVICE FOR THE COMMUNIITY