MATTAPOISETT — Harbor Days celebrations continued on Friday, July 19 with fresh food and rock music from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. with the Oxford Creamery Fish Fry.

Liz Ackerman, owner of Oxford Creamery, and James Nadeau, President of the Mattapoisett Lions Club described the event as a team effort and a community endeavor.

“The community has taken very good care of us, and we like to do what we can to give back,” said Ackerman.

Nadaeu said that proceeds for the event, as well as the rest of the Harbor Days celebrations, will go towards helping those in need in the community, and to charities sponsored by the Lions Club. Nadaeu said that charitable causes benefited by this year’s celebration include eye research and blindness, and preventing childhood diabetes.

Nadaeu estimated that between his organization, and Ackerman’s restaurant about 25 volunteers worked on-site at the fish fry.

The fish fry dinner was sold for $13 and came with french fries and coleslaw. Strawberry shortcakes with biscuits from Shaws, and strawberries freshly sliced by Lions Club volunteers was sold for $5.

Paul Stubbs, of the Mattapoisett Lions Club Board of Directors, said that the organization refines the annual events each year. For this year’s fish fry, customers lined up to buy tickets, before exchanging them for food. According to Stubbs, this set-up made the event more manageable for organizers and volunteers.

Other food items like hamburgers from the grill were wrapped in tin foil, and kept in insulated boxes to keep them warm, and ready to be served to hungry customers.

Johnny’s Basement Band used the gazebo at Shipyard Park as their stage to play rock music for guests at the outdoor event. The Mattapoisett-based group has a repertoire ranging from Led Zeppelin to Maroon 5. 

The Lions Club also sold T-shirts for $15 and continued selling raffle tickets at a price of $5 for one ticket, or three for $10. Grand Prizes include a Martha’s Vineyard weekend getaway, free golf for a group of four at over ten local courses, and $1000 cash. Winners will be announced on Sunday, July 20 around 4 p.m.