(Gananoque, ON) After three years of extreme caution due to the pandemic and no chance to really get together and have a good time, the Thousand Islands History Museum will be holding its Summer Evening in the Islands Fundraiser on August 11.

“We are bursting with excitement to celebrate our achievements with you at our first in-person gala in three years,” said Joanne van Dreumel, executive director of the museum. “Brian and Lynn Knudsen will host the celebration at their elegant summer home on Flying Mallard Island. With beverage in hand, you can meander the gardens, greet old and new friends, and listen to live music. And you can keep mementos of the evening from the Live and Silent Auctions, emceed by Alicia Gordon of Gordon’s Estate Services, and know that your support keeps us strong in preserving and interpreting our collective history.”

To attend the evening, you can park at the Ivy Lea Boatline docks and catch a courtesy shuttle from the Municipal Dock between 4:45 and 5:45 p.m. Hosts Brian and Lynn Knudsen will greet you after the 5-minute ride to the island. For those who wish to use their own boat, eight 40-foot docks are available for use and must be reserved through the museum.

Funds raised at these events support all kinds of museum activities, including the “Alice in Canada’s Wonderland” Canada Day celebration held this year in partnership with the Town of Gananoque; 2022 Seasonal Exhibit “Influenza Unmasked”; Heritage Walking Tour App; Sara Saves online educational programming; care for the Town of Gananoque Civic Collection; and the resumption of no charge in-person class visits to local schools.

This year’s auction items will include an autumn or winter cooking class at cozy Furnace Falls in Lyndhurst, a trip to the National Arts Centre with accommodation and dinner, a generator from Home Hardware, as well as numerous other items. There will also be a raffle for an attaché case filled with $500 in cash. Tickets for the raffle are one for $20 and two for $35. The evening will conclude with a display of fireworks as everyone prepares to depart and cruise back to the mainland.

Tickets for the evening are $125 per person and include a $75 tax receipt, shuttle service to and from the island, hearty snacks accompanied by premium wine and beer as well as non-alcoholic beverages, and the fireworks display. Dress code is summer comfortable, and a good time is the order of the day. To purchase tickets and/or reserve docking for personal watercraft, call the museum at 613-382-2535 or book online at www.1000islandshistorymusuem.com .

“There are only 150 tickets available so please purchase early,” said van Dreumel. “We can’t wait to see you there.”