‘Adopt a Fish’ fundraiser may flip annual
Due to the success of the “Adopt a Fish” event on Saturday, Nov. 7, the Greater Pine Island Chamber of Commerce said the event may turn out to be an annual fundraiser at the Olde Fish House Marina Restaurant.
According to Chamber President Larry Solin-ger, the generosity of the community was unparalleled.
“It made me feel really good that the community came out and supported us like they did,” said Solinger, adding that everyone worked very well together to bring the event to fruition.
Chamber board member Nancy Koucky, who helped plan the event said, “It was wonderful. There was a great turnout and the people were very supportive.
“It was a lot of fun,” said Koucky, who admits having been impressed with the overall outcome, since it was a first-time event.
Local Karl Deigert was kind enough to volunteer as the auctioneer, Olde Fish House Marina owner Lisa Dence contributed hosting the event at her restaurant, and musician Jason Bonham provided live entertainment.
“In addition to the live bidders, there were even people bidding on fish over the phone,” said Koucky, adding that a few good-natured bidding wars made the event lively and memorable.
According to Koucky the top fish-bid brought in $625.
The vision, said Koucky, is that if this becomes an annual event, a different item will be auctioned each year, naming the theme. For instance, next year’s event might be an “adopt a turtle” auction, should the chamber decide the event is to become a yearly tradition.
“What I really liked about this was the community participation,” said Koucky, who voiced concerns about having an event in the midst of a pandemic. “It was outside and the wind was blowing. People sat at a distance and the bidding itself only took an hour.
“We’d like to see more of these smaller community type events,” said Koucky, “which heavily involves the community, but since it’s held outside, doesn’t require permitting. We just haven’t figured out what they all are yet.”