Ahoy Mateys ! Get your boat to the ramp for the VESSEL SAFETY CHECK this morning!

Let the inspectors help you get your boat ready for the water this season! This FREE Vessel Safety Check helps you know exactly what your motorboat, kayak, canoe, rowboat and jetski needs to be safe and legal on the waters.  Do you need a horn, a fire extinguisher or 2, a flare, lights?  What!?

No fines, no fees!

Come today to the Manchaug Pond state boat ramp between 9-12, tell the gatekeeper you are just here for the vessel check - no launch, no fee.

Feel confident this summer when the police boat pulls up aside of you for a check!    I'm told Environmental Police love to see the Safe Vessel sticker!

Here's a few photos from last year's event!

Special thanks to the Worcester County Sail and Power Squadron for organizing and cosponsoring this event with the Manchaug Pond Association! www.usps.org/worc

June 18th VESSEL SAFETY CHECK!

Does your boat have this sticker?

Bring your vessel(s) - canoe or kayak, sail or motorboat- for a free inspection by the Worcester County Sail and Power Squadron. Receive your official sticker certifying your vessel is safe. Inspectors will tell you just want you need to be legal on the water!

The inspection is free and all are welcome.

Manchaug Pond Boat Ramp on Saturday, 18 June from around 9:00 A.M. to around noon.

Boats can be on trailers or in the water. Bring one or bring them all!

The ramp is located on Torrey Road in Sutton MA.

42* 05.473' N

71* 46.118' W

Program brought to you by:
the Manchaug Pond Association and the Worcester County Sail and Power Squadron

And the winner of the 2011 BIG Boat Raffle/$10,000 Giveaway is.....

three ducks remaining.... with only a representative of ticket holder #96 at the event.

The Fundraising Committee chairman and M.C. for the event offers #96's daughter the option to split the prize money with the other two remaining.....

.....#96 says no split, "Go for it all!"

So the children pull the losing ducks first....

first to go is #22.    AAHH!

next to go is #96.  AAAHHH!!

leaving the winner #117,          who is happily taking the $10,000 cash!     Congratulations!




A HUGE thanks to the 120+ who bought raffle tickets, the 82 who attended the Saturday event, the YMCA for use of the facility, to the many MPA volunteers who designed, printed and publicized the raffle or was involved in shopping, setup, served food, etc, and to our 9 member FUNdrai$ing Committee and our Board of Directors which is 24 strong who sold tickets and oversaw the whole program. 

Great day!  Great event!  Great fundraiser! Great cause!

Tomorrow is here! 120 tickets sold.... who will be this year's Lucky Duck!

The ducks are numbered,

the chicken dinners are ordered,

the tickets are sold out!








See you tomorrow at the Spring Social for the reverse drawing of our BIG Boat Raffle/$10,000 Giveaway!

Great odds for a great cause!  

ALL proceeds benefit the Manchaug Pond Foundation.

Got Boat ? Decorate!

Boat Decorating Contest: SUNDAY, JULY 3rd

Break out the garland, streamers and your imagination! The Second Annual Boat Decorating Contest is scheduled for Sunday, July 3rd starting at 2:00pm.  

Pick a theme, decorate like crazy, and parade around the lake for all to see. We’ll follow the same route as last year, starting at Blueberry Island. We hope to have judges on the water this year so they can get a birds-eye view of your decorating skills!

To participate, you will need to register. You’ll be issued a number that must be prominently displayed on the starboard and port sides of your boat.  If you don’t want to be a contender for the cash prizes, feel free to bypass the registration and simply decorate and join in the procession.

To register, email boat.decorating.contest@gmail.com or call 508.234.9239. Please provide the following information:
Captain’s Name:
Telephone #:
Boat Make/Model
Decorating Theme:

Everyone had a lot of fun last year and the turnout was great with at least 18 boats decorated and parading around Manchaug Pond! 

Cash prizes will be awarded!

WANTED: JUDGES -- We’re looking for people to volunteer their time to judge this contest. Please contact me at the email or telephone number above if you’re interested in being a judge.

Sacred Sunday - Blue Skies!!

After the storm - Pollen!

The tornado/thunderstorms split going north and south of us here on Manchaug Pond with just little rain received.  But now pollen is seen dusting the water. 

Skies and Wind

6:00 p.m. Danger Passes... for now.

At 6 pm as the weather reports show footage of a tornado touching down in Whitinsville just east of Manchaug Pond, these photos were taken here on the lake.

25 minutes later,  we're told the "Sutton storm" is strengthening with thunder rumbling loudly giving us a bit of a shake to the west - Whitinsvile and south to Douglas - with lightening seen to the north.

With many summer homes both cottages and camper trailers and tents on Manchaug's shore,  we pray all continue to be safe.

Stay tuned as another storm area has formed and grown once again in the Springfield area with another tornado now being reported in Westfield.

TORNADO COMING this way! NOW!

MANCHAUG POND!  Too late to batten down the hatches ... if the storm holds together, East Douglas and Sutton are in the path of a tornado currently in east of Sturbridge heading toward us at 40 mph.

Be prepared to head to the cellar/basement and invite that neighbor in the summer camp to join you.

If you are watching the news - you know the shape of Manchaug Pond to know where we are!

Check Twitter on the right side of the blog for our updates!

Memorial Day Fully Celebrated on Manchaug Pond

An old photo from the files

Memorial Day weekend traditionally finds most of Manchaug Pond's summer population moving in! This weekend was no exception with campgrounds brimming with both seasonal and weekend guests. It was evident that this year brought many newcomers to the water with our old summer friends as we heard of boaters asking directions as to how to get back to a campground, another boater dropping off passengers on the shore who roamed through yards asking directions as to how to get to the other side of the lake by road, and the boating violations could have tipped the scales as happy jetskiers pulled two friends in a tube through the channel around and around the lake while others let their young children take a turn at the wheel of their personal motor craft.  A Facebook friend of Manchaug Pond event found it necessary to send an alert as to a large amount of broken glass on Blueberry Island.

Join us in our love of Manchaug Pond - the fun on the water, the cookouts, the campfires but please be safe and do your part to keep our beautiful lake a beauty.  Leave her better than you found her!

Memorial Day makes us remember... The Bombing of Blueberry Island

As the gun salute is given to veterans of past wars at a cemetary in the Manchaug Pond watershed this morning, a story comes to mind told by local residents from the days of the World War and witnessed here on Blueberry Island.

Take a moment to visit the website and read of "The Bombing of Bluebery Island."

Looking out the window of his Army P-40, a very different Blueberry Island was seen by the pilot than the one captured here in this 2009 aerial photo.

Sacred Sunday: Who was up at 4 a.m.!

 

Once the south end of the lake bedded down at 3:00 a.m. - the music amplifiers off, the dogs stopped barking, a car alarm was quieted, and the conversation ended -

silence engulfed the area so that after 4:00 the "who, whooing" of the owl was heard.

It's back! BIG BOAT RAFFLE/$10,000 GIVEAWAY LOOKS TO LAKE PRESERVATION

BIG BOAT RAFFLE/$10,000 GIVEAWAY LOOKS TO LAKE PRESERVATION

Great odds and a great cause make this the fundraiser worthy of your participation! The Manchaug Pond Association presents this year's BIG BOAT RAFFLE with a bigger and better prize than last year!

This year's prize is bigger and better!

The Prize:  A 2011 Sun Tracker Bass Buggy 20 ft pontoon boat and motor or $10,000 cash option is being raffled away with only 120 tickets to be sold. Purchase your ticket alone or with family or friends to share the winnings and excitement of this event to preserve this 380 acre community resource. Tickets are $200. each and include a free chicken dinner ticket for the day of the drawing.

Helping draw in the reverse raffle held last year!

The Drawing will be held Saturday, June 11th on the shores of beautiful Manchaug Pond at the YMCA Camp Blanchard boat house with a BBQ chicken dinner and reverse drawing. Yes, losers first!  The boat will be on-site the day of the drawing courtesy of USA Marine, of Route 20 in Worcester, and ticket holders do not have to be present to win. The event will begin with the first election of the Board of Directors of the Manchaug Pond Foundation by the members at 11:00 a.m. followed by the reverse drawing at 11:30 and lunch at noon.

Receiving a check for $8,000!, our 2010 Boat Raffle winner takes the cash option with winning ticket #99.

To support the preservation of Manchaug Pond by obtaining a raffle ticket call George Cammuso at 774-280-2328 or email infoMPA@charter.net.


USA Marine employees and MPA Board members and their spouses are ineligible.
All proceeds benefit the newly formed Manchaug Pond Foundation, a 501c3 non profit IRS approved public charity whose mission is to preserve Manchaug Pond. Raffle sponsored by the Manchaug Pond Association (MPA).

http://www.usamarineinc.com/



Winning ticket #99 gave 2010 raffle winner Donald Klocek of Grafton a check for $8,000 as presented by George Cammuso, MPA Fundraising Committee Chairman.

Are you ready for the next event? We are!

Will you be the next winner?

On the shore of Manchaug Pond, our Fundraising Committee chairman presents a check for $8,000 to the winner of last year's BIG BOAT RAFFLE. With winning ticket #99, he selected the cash option over the boat, motor and trailer package.



Email infoMPA.charter.net.

Sacred Sunday: Reflections Before the Rain

from our photographer at Holbrook's cove

That was a great fundraiser!

A huge thank you to all those who love Manchaug Pond and are supporting our efforts!

The results of MPA Fundraising Committee's Rockin' Spring Fling have been reported to the Board of Directors...   with feedback from attendees, the band, the Dudley-Gendron and considering the number$$ in funds raised for the foundation, it has been unanimously declared a huge success and placed on the event calendar for next year!

Talking number$ for those of you who like the details.... It looks like somewhere in the neighborhood of $4,149. was raised.  $225 paid out to the winner of the 50/50 raffle and $100 in expenses for the band.... leaving us with a grand total of $3,824. deposited in our fund to preserve Manchaug Pond. 

Special thanks to the band, our event coordinator and the Fundraising Committee for a fun evening and successful event!

The Evening's Sunset

We haven't had time to post an update on the success of our recent efforts: the Rockin'Spring Fling fundraiser, the launch of the next one - the BIG Boat Raffle/$10,000 Giveaway, the 319 stormwater grant's completion and the next grant applications, meetings and conversations to enhance and preserve our natural resources, etc ...

... but we are working hard, making great progress and love this lake noted for beautiful sunrises, tremendously fun days and classic sunsets!

Enjoy! and thank you to each and everyone of you who has sent their tax deductible dues and donations, bought a ticket or two, donated a raffle item or given us a pat on the back for our perseverance and dedication in working for Manchaug Pond.

Here's some of what you missed Friday night.... Final Notice

Last Night's FUNdrai$er a Huge Success!

Last night's fundraising event on behalf of the Manchaug Pond Foundation was a huge, shall we say, Rockin' success!  Standing room only!

We'll have some numbers in to you later but in the meantime, a big thank you to all those who attended, donated raffle and silent auction items, and to those who gave their time and talent to this new event to help preserve Manchaug Pond!

Ready for Friday Night ? Silent Auction added to the fun!

It's here!  Manchaug Pond's first fundraiser of the year! Everyone invited - tickets on sale at the door!

Friday, APRIL 29th, 2011,  Rockin' Spring Fling

8 pm to Midnight, Live music featuring FINAL NOTICE

Dudley-Gendron Post 414, 156 Boston Road, Sutton

Live Band, Dancing, Cash Bar, Snacks, lots of Raffles

Admission $10/pp. For tickets email mpadance@gmail.com

Check out the band's playlist here!

Help preserve Manchaug Pond!
All Proceeds benefit the newly-formed 
Manchaug Pond Foundation, a 501c3 non profit 
dedicated to the preservation and enhancement of Manchaug Pond. 

It should prove to be a fun filled  evening and a successful fundraiser!

If you can't make it for the whole evening, stop in for the raffles and the silent auction !

The SILENT AUCTION has been added to the fun with the donation of

~ golf for 4 at HIGHFIELDS GOLF COURSE

~ handcrafted garden bench from THE SADDLE SHED

~ golf for 4 at BLACKSTONE GOLF COURSE

~ original watercolor paintings from local artist KAY WENTZELL

~ RAFFLE TICKET in the MPA Boat Raffle/$10,000 Giveaway from PUTNAM SHEET METAL

~ 2 concert tickets to NEW KID'S ON THE BLOCK

~ handmade LAP QUILT- 57" x 57" used as a decorative tablecloth or wall hanging (www.marathonquilters.com)

~ BOAT WINTERIZE & WRAP PACKAGE from  DO IT FOR U


For RAFFLE ITEMS you'll find:

~the 50/50 raffle

~Framed photos of our favorite blog photographers - the eagle pics;  landscape and sunset photos; and aerial shots;

~gift certificates to restaurants from Peg's Diner, Janets, Hannah's, Kappi's, Brian's, Laurieann's and more;
~ 4 -twosomes at Cyrian Keyes

~Gift certificates from McLaughlin's Garage, a clown, Tuscan Spa, from Great Canadian Canoe and Kayak

~and baskets galore featuring themes which include wine, biscotti, beer, jelly, hair and nail products, perfume, jewelry, tea and more!

See you there!

Sacred Sunday: Grateful for the beautiful water and new buds!

Can you hear the peepers!

Thank you to our Holbrook's Cove photographer. 


Take a chance to win some of Manchaug Pond's favorite photos,  this Friday at the Rockin' Spring Fling benefit's raffle and silent auction from 8 to midnight at the Dudley-Gendron Post, Boston Road, Sutton.  All invited. Tickets available at the door. $10pp.

Rainy weather to bring us into the summer season

Many of Manchaug Pond's summer residents spent this week and weekend turning on the cottage water, getting the boat out of storage, working on the dock, and moving things .....

... all in preparation for the summer season.

Boat Ramp Sign Repaired

Special thanks to our Sutton Town Administrators office and the State Office of Fishing and Boating Access for taking care of our aging boat ramp sign.

Before repairs:

Today:

Rain and Waterlevel

Last night we received over 2 inches of rain here on Manchaug Pond.  Saturated soils in the watershed are making for plenty of runoff which is causing the waterlevel of the lake to come up very quickly.

Sacred Sunday

Not to Worry...

Not to worry... just Verizon fios coming to Manchaug Pond!

Barred Owl

The photographer notes "this Barred Owl said it didn't give a hoot about the Bald Eagles!"

Quess Whooo ?

Can you guess the star of the next blog post?   If you loved the photos of the eagles, you're going to love this next picture sent in by a friend of Manchaug Pond. Looking like a primordial forest, this wooded area abutts the southern end of Manchaug Pond.

Let's break for a commercial:
 
Help build our new organization!


Your purchases from Amazon, of Kindle, and through Goodsearch benefit the Manchaug Pond Foundation, a non-profit 501c3 organization recently formed and approved by the IRS to protect and enhance Manchaug Pond and its watershed.  Membership, donations, and your participation in fundraising events help build the foundation so we can achieve our goals in the protection of the lake and its watershed. Thank you for your support!

   stay tuned for another awesome photo...

Sacred Sunday with Eagles!

Sacred Sunday: Lake Blue

Warning for DOG Owners around Manchaug Pond

Keep an extra special eye on your outdoor pets ...  we have been asked to post this warning as one neighborhood on Manchaug Pond is reporting the loss of four dogs - yes, FOUR dogs who have died within the last week due to anti-freeze poisoning!

Here's some advice:

Besides keeping common hazards such as human medications and household cleaners out-of-paw’s reach, keep your veterinarian’s number handy,  familiarize yourself with the symptoms of poison ingestion—such as vomiting, excessive thirst and difficulty breathing—and, assemble a pet first-aid kit.

Learn more at ASPCA.ORG


Purchases through these links benefit the Manchaug Pond Association.

Manchaug's Ice Breaking UP

Ice still remains on Manchaug Pond even after a few days of spring temperatures and wind.

Cabin Fever? MPA FUNdrai$ing Committee has the answers!

Ready for some fun and an opportunity to raise money for a great cause? Here are a few of the events the MPA Fundraising Committee has lined up for 2011:

• A fun new evening of live music, dancing, cash bar, raffles, snacks and more called Rockin' Spring Fling April 29th at the Dudley-Gendron in Sutton; Only $10 pp, email for tickets! Check out the band's playlist here!

• the BIG ticket BOAT Raffle whose prize has grown bigger and better with it's second year!  Tickets are being printed now and soon will go on sale with a very limited number available.  USA Marine, our sponsor, will bring the boat to the shores of Manchaug for the drawing on June 18th. The free meal of half-a-chicken and all the fixings for ticket holders.  Stay tuned for a photo of the boat - a 2011 pontoon boat or take $10,000 cash.  More info to come!

• the 2nd Annual Boat Decorating Contest for the July 4th weekend (judging on July 3rd) is also being planned - entries can choose any theme, a judges' boat will be added to allow a longer and closer view and there is talk of trophies and categories.

• and Manchaug Pond's 6K The DAM Race scheduled for Saturday, October 15th is also promised!

So mark your calendars, call your neighbors and friends, email for tickets all to have a bit of fun and raise money to preserve Manchaug Pond!






100% of the money raised will be used for the preservation and enhancement of Manchaug Pond. Donations can be made directly to the newly formed 501c3 non-profit Manchaug Pond Foundation and are tax-deductible.

Remembering Summer...

Summer 2010, Blueberry Island, Manchaug Pond

Pack away the snowshoes!

The dramatic seasonal change which occurs at this time each year has begun here on Manchaug Pond. Where this winter the lake provided many opportunities for snow shoeing, ice fishing and snowmobiling, the warmer temps and yesterday's rain and wind are opening up our summer playground.


With considerable melting and run-off from the watershed the lake waterlevel is rising fast!