Witches Paddle To Benefit NAMI

CHATHAM – According to folklore, witches don’t generally like water. But there’s a local coven whose sole raison d'être is to get out on the water.

 To paddle for a good cause, that is.

 The annual Witches on the Water costume paddle returns to Oyster Pond Saturday, Oct. 4 from 3 to 5 p.m. in a “magical fundraiser” for the National Alliance for Mental Illness (NAMI).

 A sort of kick-off for the Halloween season, the free event includes a costumed stand-up paddle board parade, live music, food, entertainment and raffles. Last year the event raised more than $30,000 for Dream Day on Cape Cod, and since its founding in 2019, the paddle has raised more than $110,000 for several local nonprofits.

As of late last week, about 25 paddlers had signed up, and vice president and co-founder Susan Price said she expects a gathering of about 30 witches and warlocks to participate.

 “We always get a few last-minute paddlers,” she said.

 Price and co-founder Jo-Ellen Erickson started the Halloween paddle in 2019 as an informal, fun gathering of friends. Witches on the Water held its first event in 2021, and each year since has chosen a different local organization to highlight and support.

 And they do it in a unique but completely witchy way. Members of the board gather and each writes down an organization on a slip of paper, all of which are thrown into a cauldron. One is picked to be that year’s beneficiary.

 Price said a few members of the board work in jobs where they deal with mental health issues, and one wrote NAMI on her slip of paper. It was chosen, and the Hyannis-based branch of the national organization became this year’s beneficiary.

NAMI provides counseling, support and education to anyone impacted by mental illness, at no charge. The organization is better known on the Upper Cape than on the Lower and Outer Cape, Price said, and the Witches on the Water hope the event will give them more exposure on this end of the peninsula.

 “They have great programs,” she said. “A lot of people don’t realize how much they have to offer, and it’s available to everybody, 100 percent free.”

The costume paddle parade, with witches and warlocks dressed in their Halloween best, begins at 4 p.m. Riptide will provide music, with food trucks from Encore, Deep Water Dogs and Good Times Ice Cream providing eats. There will be prizes for best costume for paddlers and non-paddlers alike.

 For paddlers, there is a $50 registration fee and a fundraising minimum of $250. Those who want to paddle but don’t have their own stand-up board can borrow one. Price said Pump House Surf Shop will provide boards for those who need them. To register, reserve a board or make a donation, contact the witches through their website, www.witchesonthewater.org.