By Laura Mazur
Community Post
For the past few years, the Miami and Erie Canal Corridor Association has held its annual partnership dinner for members of the community who have helped the organization.

This year, MECCA hopes the community will continue to partner with it and help to raise funds at a dinner.
“We need to still create new partners and sponsors in different areas,” explained Neal Brady, MECCA's executive director during a recent meeting.
The organization's partnership dinner is normally held in the spring each year, but since a little more planning is going into this affair, it is being held in September. Dinner with entertainment and an auction are the focal points for the event. Funds raised will go back to the non-profit to assist in canal clean-up efforts and promotion of the canal.
Paid memberships for MECCA as of May 19 were 148.
“I feel good we're making good connections working with people and the community,” said Brady about the variety of outings he has attended in the past two months while representing MECCA and showcasing to others information about the local canal.
Although still in its planning stages, the fall dinner will be similar to Delphos' “Boatman's Breakaway Dinner.” Delphos annually holds their dinner as a tradition to celebrate the canal era times when the ice in the canal would thaw and canal boats could resume travel. Canal commerce was also restored as boats moved goods, materials and passengers up and down the route. Delphos' affair brings in between $3,000 and $4,000 each year for the Delphos Canal Commission.
With the loss of some larger sponsorships to MECCA recently, the organization has had to find more ways to become sustainable on its own as well as increase its membership while spreading the good word of the Miami and Erie Canal.
Venue and date are still things needing to be worked out for the dinner as of yet, but details will be announced as plans fall into place.
Other upcoming events for MECCA include:
*National Trails Day Celebration in Sidney on June 7
*Wapakoneta 175th anniversary parade on June 21
*Booth at Shelby County Fair July 20-26
*Booth at Auglaize County Fair July 27-Aug. 2
The next MECCA Board of Trustees meeting is scheduled for July 16 at 7 p.m. in New Bremen.