The Gwynn’s Island Foundation is all geared up to do its part in making this year’s Gwynn’s Island Festival an experience to be remembered. The festival will be held from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday, June 24, at the Gwynn’s Island Civic League, 1996 Old Ferry Road, Grimstead.

Foundation chairman John Mathiesen said the foundation will again have a dunk tank, this year sponsored by Chesapeake Bank, with the theme “Local Heroes and Superheroes.” Among the people who have agreed to be dunked to raise funds for the foundation’s education mission are deputies, teachers, and Chesapeake Bank employees, he said.

On top of that, Lord Dunmore will be dunked in the booth after a skit by the Court House Players featuring a confrontation between him and General Andrew Lewis. Mathiesen said that Mathews High School band teacher Mark Givens and his students have written a theme song for the event called “Lord Dunmore’s March,” which will be played by students Zoe Camp on the piccolo and Hayden Owens on the snare drum.

Silent auction

The foundation will also hold a silent auction again this year, said Mathiesen, with a number of specialty baskets as prizes. Top prize will be a Golf Day for Four at the Piankatank River Golf Course that includes a box lunch, a range finder, balls, towels, tees, and sunscreen for each player. There will also be a basket for an Ahhh! Day, with pedicures for two at Bridgewater Salon and Spa, along with skin and hair products and four passes to an event at Zoll Vineyards. Other baskets will contain products from CA&J Farms, Doodlebugs, and others. There will also be a variety of gift cards from restaurants and local businesses.

Ultimate NASCAR raffle

Finally, the foundation is holding a multi-prize Ultimate NASCAR raffle. The grand prize is two passes to the Richmond Raceway’s Ally Torque Club, with indoor seating, reserved outdoor seating, FanGrounds passes, all-you-can-eat, and more—a prize valued at $1,500. Other prizes are: two seats in the Commonwealth Mezzanine for Saturday/Sunday races, which include garage passes; a Richard Petty Driving Experience, giving the winner the opportunity to go to any NASCAR track except Daytona and spend five minutes driving one of the race cars on the track; and six reserve seats on turn two for the Spring Race next April.

There are only 375 raffle tickets for sale. They are $20 each and may be purchased from the foundation booth at the festival. The drawing will be held in September.

All proceeds will go to youth scholarships and the Gwynn’s Island Museum, said Mathiesen, adding, “We’re having a blast with this.”