Hickory Hall Polo Club is hosting multiple charity events for nonprofit organizations this summer.

The club, which hosts polo events at 7551 E. 100 N., has always hosted nonprofits and began doing multiple events throughout the summer of 2008.

Co-owner Greg Chandler took over Hickory Hall Polo Club in 1990. His son, Austin, is the president. They began hosting events for nonprofits to get involved in the community and help raise money and awareness for the nonprofits in the area.

“We are three generations into this,” Austin said. “Once my son is old enough, he will take over the club too.”

Polo at Sunset, a night for charities to raise money and awareness during polo matches, takes place every Friday night through October.

“We have been dubbed the Friday night football of the summer,” Austin said. “We used to do one or two events each year, but for the past 15 years, we have held multiple events and house up to 30 organizations a year.”

Gates open at 5 p.m. every Friday. Each organization does different things at their event, such as having a VIP tent, holding auctions, doing bourbon pulls, or having dinner before polo begins.

“The organizations are the backbone of what we do. It is a fun interactive evening designed for the whole family,” Austin said. “Along with watching members and teams play polo, nonprofits get to design the event while we act as a venue.”

Austin said Hickory Hall Polo Club has 17 members that play polo every Friday, and sometimes out-of-state teams come to play.

Nonprofits organize their payment structure for the events, but there is always a general admission section that charges a fee of $40 per carload.

“Our facility can hold up to 2,000 people,” Austin said. “We love interacting with everyone at the event, and our family enjoys supporting local and multinational organizations.”

After the events conclude in the fall, an information session is held at Zionsville Town Hall for new and returning nonprofits to learn more about how the events work. An application form opens that night for organizations to apply.

“We close applications mid-November,” Austin said. “Our whole family sits down and goes through every application to choose which nonprofits we want to host the following year. We like to choose both small and large organizations.”

Polo at Sunset runs through Oct. 6. For more, visit indypolo.com/.

Calendar

July 21: Agape Therapeutic Riding Resources and Main Street Productions- Basile Westfield Playhouse
July 28: Hendricks Regional Health Foundation
Aug. 4: Indiana Youth Rugby Foundation and Progress House
Aug.11: Riverview Health Foundation
Aug. 18: Indiana Hands and Voices and Indianapolis Children’s Choir
Aug. 25: Central IN Police Foundation (IMPD Mounted Patrol Association)
Sept. 1: Isenhower Family Education Fund and Watch Us Farm
Sept. 8: Morning Dove Therapeutic Riding Center, Inc. and Indiana Canine Assistant Network (ICAN)
Sept. 15: Circle City Clubhouse and Craine House
Sept. 22: Special Olympics Indiana
Sept. 29: Oxford House and Indiana Ballet Conservatory
Oct. 6: Ronald McDonald House and Zanmi Fondwa