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. 

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 …

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 …

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.

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!