Nothing on the menu will come from the Wellesley Pond, but proceeds from the community fish fry scheduled for May 25 will go back into the pond.
Hosted at the Wellesley Home Centre from 5 to 7 p.m., the event is a fundraiser for the pond restoration project. Along with dinner, the outing will feature a plant sale, a silent auction and an educational presentation on gardening by garden expert Mark Cullen.
Cullen also presented at the previous community fish fry fundraiser in 2015 that saw some 400 people in attendance. That event raised more than $6,000 in support of the construction of an accessible playground near the Wellesley Community Centre.
“It was fabulous,” he said. “It was just so much fun. I would tell your readers that they should come and plan on having some fun, a good relaxing night out. It seems to me that everyone who comes ends up meeting their neighbours there. Because there’s a lot of networking going on.”
In addition to a fish dinner with potato salad, homemade-style pies and other refreshments, there will be a variety of items sold including community perennials and plants from Cullen’s garden.
“Last time I brought a handful of tomatoes from my own greenhouse,” he said. “They sold very well. All the money went to a very good cause, a local charity. They were raising money for a playground at the time. This year, it’s a different charity.”
The Wellesley Pond restoration project is the chosen recipient this year, the money helping the ongoing effort to improve the state of the natural landmark.
“Over the years, the pond, which is obviously a focal point of the town, adds a lot of natural beauty to the downtown area,” said John Kuepfer, owner of Wellesley Home Centre. “It’s been filling up with silt. So it just needs to be cleaned up and have the edges reinforced in certain areas. Grand River Conservation Authority is working on a plan. I think they may have it finalized actually for that evening for a presentation to explain exactly what’s going to happen. And basically revitalize that pond so it can keep looking good and be a good habitat for fish and plants for years to come.”
This year, Cullen will be doing the presentation with his son, Ben. They will be covering plenty of nature-related topics.
“Both of us will be talking about how the broad sweep of impatience on the picture-perfect lawn is a thing of the past,” said Cullen. “We’ll be talking about how it’s been replaced with a great passion for food; new gardeners love food. And also the embracing of nature and creating biodiversity in the garden.”
“One of the topics he’s going to be addressing this time is plants that attract pollinators and butterflies,” added Kuepfer. “Kind of a big movement to help produce gardens that are bee-friendly to help out our friends, the bees. Because there’s been quite a decline in them in the last number of years in North America. Just encouraging people to plant those kind of plants and be there for the butterflies and the bees. That will definitely be one of the topics. We will also have a silent auction of various items that are being donated by the community. Just to help with the cause.”
Tickets are $20 per adult and $10 for children aged 12 and under. Children 3 and under are free. Tickets can be purchased through Wellesley Home Centre. The event is sponsored by Wellesley Home Centre, Wellesley Fair Board, Wellesley Horticultural Society and Wellesley Lions. All of the proceeds will go to charity.
