The Leelanau Conservancy will hold its annual picnic and auction next Thursday, Aug. 2 at the Newton Farm overlooking the Manitou Islands on Jelinek Road.

The 100-acre farm near Gills Pier was permanently protected by the Leelanau Conservancy in 2004. The picnic beings at 5 p.m. and features a silent and live auction, as well as pre-picnic field trips, a Kids Tent and a short program that includes recognizing the Conservancy’s “Volunteer of the Year’ and “Business Supporter of the Year”.

A local foods-focused meal will be served, along with local wines. Tickets are $30 for adults until July 30th when the price goes up to $35. Tickets for the Kids Tent (children under 12) are just $5.

“The picnic is a wonderful gathering of people who love the work that the Leelanau Conservancy is doing to protect a place they care very much about — Leelanau County,” said Carolyn Faught, communications director for the Conservancy. “We are expecting about 800 people to come and celebrate what we’ve been able to accomplish together…”

Auction items include a morel hunt and gourmet dinner for 12; two-day camping trip to South Manitou Island; a cycling tour and one week’s stay in a Fishtown shanty.

The auction will kick off with a fun exercise to award a door prize comprised of a great selection of locally grown products. The evening will culminate with the raffle drawing for the Mario Batali Molto Big Apple Weekend in New York City. Only 100 tickets are being sold— and as of press time only 10 tickets were still available.

“It’s going to be exciting to see who wins this culinary weekend of a lifetime,” Faught said. “We’re grateful to Mario for all he does to help raise awareness about the Leelanau Conservancy.”

The raffle is expected to raise $100,000 for farmland preservation.

Further information is available at leelanauconservancy.org or by calling 256-9665.