The Leelanau Conservancy will hold its annual "Friends" picnic and auction Thursday, Aug. 2, at Woolsey Airport near Northport, with the picnic beginning at 5 p.m.

SUNFLOWERS BORDER the venue of the Leelanau Conservancy’s annual “Friends” picnic and auction last year. This year’s event will be held Aug. 2 at Woolsey Airport near Northport.

An estimated 800 Conservancy supporters are expected to attend the event. Registration is now under way.

“This is a time for people who care about Leelanau County to come together and meet one another and support a great cause,” said Conservancy communications director Carolyn Faught. “Everyone is welcome.”

This year’s picnic will feature an expanded live auction with eight offerings. Among them: dinner, wine tasting and a cooking lesson with chef Mario Batali; a Caribbean cruise for two on the luxury liner SeaDream; weekends at a Chicago B&B or Manhattan penthouse; a morel hunting excursion with Leif Spörck; apple picking and a dinner for 16 at Ann and Don Gregory’s Suttons Bay orchard; dinner for eight on the Crystal River prepared by chef Rose Hollander; and more.

Bidding online on 100 items is currently under way at www.theconservancy.com. Proxy bidding is also available for those who cannot attend the picnic.

Prior to the picnic there will be a number of field trips offered beginning at 3 p.m. Options include a kids’ mystery hike; a tour of newly acquired Conservancy lands along Lake Michigan; a historical walking tour of Northport; and a hike at the Conservancy’s Kehl Lake Natural Area with director Brian Price. A tent for kids ages 3 to 12 and music by Cabin Fever are also on tap.

All proceeds from the auction will benefit land protection efforts in Leelanau County. The evening will begin with local wines and six appetizers created by Leelanau chefs that feature fresh local produce. A catered dinner using more local foods will follow. After dinner, the Conservancy’s volunteer of the year and business partner of the year will be announced.

The cost of the picnic is $30 for adults and children 12 and older. For children under 12, parents may choose from “kid-friendly” snacks and juice in the kid’s tent for $5 or regular food tickets for children at $10.

The deadline for registration is Monday, July 30. After that, the adult price goes up to $35. Registration is limited and on a first-come, first-served basis.

For more information and to register, phone 256-9665 or visit theconservancy.com online.

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