The Beebe Ranch, longtime home to the famous island pony “Misty of Chincoteague,” finally appears within reach of the museum that hopes to save it from development and preserve it for posterity.
On June 2, the Museum of Chincoteague Island (Virginia) announced on its website: “Thanks to the generosity of many, we have now raised over $450,000 of the needed $625,000 to purchase the Beebe Ranch AND the ranch is officially under contract! We are so incredibly grateful for every dollar donated, post shared, article written, and volunteer hour given to get us this far.
“The matching $100,000 challenge offered by local philanthropist, David Landsberger, has been achieved and we should be receiving the funds from his foundation very soon! This brings us so incredibly close to our goal to #savetheranch! Words can not adequately express how thankful we are for the overwhelming support we have received in just 12 short weeks to get us to this point.
“Once the ranch is purchased, there is still lots of work to do, so donations are still greatly appreciated.”
Save the Beebe Ranch donations can be made through the Museum of Chincoteague Island website, GoFundMe or by mailing a check payable to the Museum of Chincoteague Island (noting the donation is for the Beebe Ranch) to PO Box 352 Chincoteague Island, VA 23336. For further information, call the museum directly at (757) 336-6117.
‘Buyback’ foal auction
Meanwhile, the Chincoteague Volunteer Fire Company, which owns and manages the Assateague ponies on the Virginia side of that barrier island, has chosen its “Save the Beebe Ranch” buyback foal to aid the museum in its quest.
“We have chosen foal #29, a bay and white filly out of Bayside Angel and Don Leonard Stud II,” a June 4 announcement on the CVFC’s Facebook page reads. “This foal’s excellent conformation and color will make her a great addition to the herd.”
For those interested in bidding on the buyback foal to help save the Beebe Ranch, click on this link to the auction, which begins June 9 and ends at 7 pm on June 14. (Be sure to read the terms of the buyback before bidding.) “We hope you will support the Museum of Chincoteague in their final leg of this fundraising effort,” CVFC representatives write.
‘Surfer Dude’ auction
Another campaign seeks to raise funds for the ranch through the auction of a special model horse. From the Museum of Chincoteague website: “This is a beautiful, well-maintained model of one of Assateague Island’s favorite sons! Surfer Dude was a well known and well loved stallion on Assateague Island. He was part of the Chincoteague Volunteer Fire Company herd and the most photographed pony by far. In 2014, famed artist Peter Stone (creator of many of the Breyer models) created this limited edition model. He only made 10. Eight of those had a matte finish and two were glossy. This model is one of the eight.
“This model was donated by Joyce Westberry to help the Museum of Chincoteague Island raise funds for the ‘Save the Beebe Ranch’ campaign. The proceeds from the winning bid will go towards the purchase of the famed ranch. The model will be auctioned through our BetterUnite page with the auction beginning at 12:01 am on May 31 and running until June 15.” Click here for the live auction.
