National Marine Life Center Announces 6th Annual Mermaid Ball

Nov. 29, 2012 - PRLog -- (BUZZARDS BAY, MA)  Nov. 30, 2012 --  The National Marine Life Center (NMLC) is delighted to announce that their sixth annual Mermaid Ball will be held on August 17, 2013 at the Bay Pointe Club in Onset, MA.  This joyful costume ball is the National Marine  Life Center’s signature fundraising event that benefits the center’s rehabilitation, science, and education programs and raises critical funds to help complete the center’s marine animal hospital and rehabilitation facility in downtown Buzzards Bay.  The recent NOAA approval for seal patients at the facility, and the admittance of their first seal patient, Townsend (named in honor of co-founder Townsend Hornor) demonstrates the need for this hospital.

The Mermaid Ball, a fun-filled evening of both whimsy and elegance, moves to a new location, the Bay Pointe Club, in Onset, MA (www.baypointeclub.com).  Recently renovated, under new ownership and management, the facility will “give us a lovely venue for the ball,” in the words of Mermaid Ball Chairperson Katharine Hurd.  “The patio gives us a wonderful indoor/outdoor expansion, there’s plenty of space for the auction and the dancing, and their support for this event make it the ideal choice.”

Adds Cullen McKain, Bay Pointe’s Director of Sales, “The Bay Pointe Club is excited for the opportunity to host the 2013 Mermaid Ball in our beautifully renovated Pavilion. Our Terrace overlooking the 10th green and our soon-to-be completed lawn and garden area will offer the perfect setting for this special occasion. Working with the National Marine Life Center is a wonderful opportunity to raise awareness in our area about the importance of marine wildlife health and conservation. We’re honored to be a part of this event and anxious to showcase all the improvements that have been made to our club.”

As always, the evening will include a reception, live and silent auctions, dinner, live music from the GinaMark Band, and surprises!  Attendees are encouraged to come in costume or creative black tie.  “The Mermaid Ball has become a wonderful and whimsical event,” says Executive Director Kathy Zagzebski.  “Each year, the costumes get more creative!  It’s fun to celebrate with our friends and supporters, all for a good cause.”  

Keep up with all the latest Mermaid Ball news such as ticket sale information at www.mermaidball.com.

About the National Marine Life Center

The National Marine Life Center is an independent, non-profit 501(c) (3) rehabilitation and release hospital for the treatment of stranded sea turtles and seals, with future plans to expand to treat dolphins, porpoises, and small whales.  Their emphasis is to educate the public about the needs and status of these important animals and their environment, and to research their health needs and threats in captivity and in the wild.

The Cape Cod area is a hotspot for strandings, with hundreds of animals requiring medical and rehabilitative care every year.  “Currently there are no rehabilitative facilities in New England that are capable of holding and treating a cetacean larger than a harbor porpoise,” says Kate Shaffer, the center’s Animal Care Coordinator. “Furthermore, the next nearest seal rehabilitation facilities are located in Maine and Connecticut and there often isn’t enough space to accommodate Massachusetts’ animals.” The National Marine Life Center is stepping up to meet this need and is building a state of the art marine animal hospital to treat larger animals that strand in distress in large numbers on the Cape. Since its inception in 2004, the Center has rescued, treated, and rehabilitated dozens of endangered turtles including Kemps Ridley sea turtles, Loggerhead sea turtles, Diamondback Terrapins, and Red Bellied Cooters.

Contact:Kathy Zagzebski

Executive Director

National Marine Life

kzagzebski@nmlc.org

PO Box 269, 120 Main Street

Buzzards Bay, MA 02532

www.nmlc.org