Your participation in this annual fundraiser supports the preservation of the 446-acre park and our environmental education programs.

About the Event

18th Annual Fall Fling: Saturday, October 24th at River Bottom Event Center, Henderson, MN.

Join us for an evening of Northern Lights, as MN Astronomical Society Mark Job shares his fantastic photography while explaining the science of Aurora!

Click here to purchase tickets!

4:30 pm Social Time

6:00 pm Dinner served

7:00 pm Speaker

8:15 pm Dessert

Meal

During social hour, guests can enjoy snacks and enjoy the Fling’s signature drink or mocktail at the cash bar.

Cash bar w/Signature Drinks:

Salted Caramel Martini
Apple Cider Sangria
Caramel apple cider crush

The evenings menu is tentatively set at:

Apricot Jelly Glazed Pork Loin & Turkey or Vegetarian Option of Tri-colored Pasta with Creamy Garlic Alfredo Sauce (tomato, spinach and mushrooms)
Mashed Potatoes & Gravy
Green Beans
Dinner Roll
Coleslaw
Water & Coffee

Dessert includes an assortment of Bundt Cakes served with Coffee

Pumpkin with Cream Cheese Frosting
Carrot Cake
Apple Cider
Chocolate

VIP Table for 8

Bring a group! Purchase a VIP Table Reservation for you and 7 guests. Each seat reiceves a free drink ticket and a choice of Ney Nature Center branded Cup, Mug, or Tote. A great way to share your support for the Ney Nature Center with others.

Silent Auction

The online auction will be live Tuesday, October 20th and closes the evening of our event! Watch for details to come – Instrested in donating to the Auction – we would love that! – contact Becky.

Click here to register to bid throu gh our silent auction platform GiveButter.

Raffle Tickets

Purchase raffle tickets for your chance to win the top prize of $1,000.00 or the second or third prizes of $250.00 each. You can purchase your ticket by stopping into the Ney Education Building or contacting a Ney Board Member. Tickets cost $20.00 each. Participants must be 18 and older to win and do not need to be present at the time of the drawing.

Keynote Speaker

This year’s featured keynote speaker is Minnesota Astronomical Society Member Mark Job. Mark is an amateur astronomer, astrophotographer, aurora chaser, and retired regulatory engineer. His fascination with the night sky began during his childhood on a farm in central North Dakota. Recognizing his interest in space, his parents woke him to watch the first Moon landing live. In 1979, during a storm day, he observed a partial solar eclipse using a pinhole projector made from a shoebox. Mark has been a member of the Minnesota Astronomical Society since the fall of 2010 and is a past president of the organization. He enjoys leading and attending star parties and sharing his enthusiasm for astronomy with others. He is also a member of Starry Skies North, a chapter of DarkSky International, and an active volunteer with the Great River Regional Library, where he serves on the team that maintains telescopes available for checkout. Whether photographing deep-sky objects or pursuing the aurora, Mark remains at home under the night sky—and he is not afraid of the dark.

Become a Fall Fling Sponsor

We are asking for local businesses to support our fundraising goal by making a tax-deductible sponsorship donation. Not only do our sponsors earn the benefit of supporting Ney and our ability to offer high quality environmental education programing, but they also earn several benefits geared toward expanding their reach throughout our shared community.

For more information regarding sponsorships, please contact us or visit our sponsorship page.

Why support Ney? We will let our community tell you.
“This was our daughter’s first time at camp and she loved it. She has asked us if she can come back again next year. This was a great camp to get her outdoors and meeting new individuals.”
“A great way for kids to spend time outside learning about nature and getting to learn skills they might not otherwise. “
“We always have a great time. Seriously, this place offers some of the best field trips! The activities are so interesting too. Our students are challenged to calculate and come to conclusions.”
“(Camper) started talking about going to camp again next year as soon as we drove away Friday morning. Despite (Camper’s) hesitation toward the whole experience he had a good time and said that zip lining was his favorite activity. Thank you for putting this camp on, we always have a great time at Ney!”

Thank You to Our Generous Sponsors

Golden Sunrise Sponsors

Silver Maple Patrons

Bronze Leaf Contributors

Fall Fling Friends

Additional Sponsors

Thank you so much for helping build the Ney Nature Center into a strong nonprofit organization that manages and protects the Ney Wildlife Preserve through education and interaction with the natural world. With your support, we look forward to another successful Fall Fling Fundraiser.

The Ney Nature Center is a 501(c)3 tax-exempt charitable nonprofit organization. EIN: 41-1842392 Donations to Ney Environmental Education Foundation (dba: Ney Nature Center) are tax-deductible to the fullest extent allowed by law.