The 4-H Picnic also know as the Up-and-at-it or the Holt picnic has been around more years than I am old. I'm not sure when their first picnic was but I know when my first was. My mother tells me I was 2 weeks old my very first 4-H picnic. I was born on July 19th, 1982 and the picnic is always the last weekend of July. Even though the picnic is only 2 days long it would take us months to plan and prepare. In the days and weeks before the picnic we would set out to gather donations to use for the drawings. We also would have work days where we would all gather at the picnic area and clean up trash, mow, repair and repaint the stands. My mom always worked in the bingo stand. She also worked many years in the Dime Toss stand that was ran by my aunt Kay Sartor. My dad and my cousin Joe Moore ran the Pop Ring Toss. My "grandma" Amie Brown ran Duck Pond stand which her granddaughter Little Amy helped with. My Aunt Linda Moore always worked in the cook shack. Mable Wehr ran a ping pong game and her husband Junior ran the Cream Can Toss. My uncle, at the time, Andy Sartor and his brother Wes Sartor ran the Fishing Game. Sarah Brown and Chris Wehr ran the snow cone stand which I always thought was so cool and couldn't wait to be a teenager to help run it too. We always let a nearby church group run the cake walk. Jay Sanders always did all of our announcing and good bluegrass music from Dave Evans could be heard throughout the park.
When I was 7 I ran for 4-H Princess and won. I received my crown from my good friend Amy Brown who had won the year before me. She was a year older than I was. I can also remember catching ever single box turtle I could get my hands on for about 2 weeks before the picnic. Trying my hardest to figure out which one I thought could win the big terrapin race. I even managed to win a couple years.
We lived 20 miles south of town. There wasn't a whole lot to do so Picnic time was a big event for us and we looked forward to it every year. The 4-H used the money to do community projects as well as take us kids on a trip each year. Some years we went to Silver Dollar City and a couple times we even went to Six Flags.
The 4-H building was just up the gravel road from the park. It was an old school house complete with a blackboard and the old time school desks. I loved playing with the desks and I can remember not wanting to sit still through the entire meetings. I can remember bobbing for apples on the porch and our yearly hay rides where my Dad, Brothers and cousin Joe would try to scare us younger ones. There were Christmas parties, field trips, and the fair projects. I think all 3 of us kids probably still have a stack of blue ribbons from.
I loved 4-H and I miss those days. I miss the people and each year it seems there are less and less people that I remember. It's not all different and there are still good ole friends that come. It may not be the biggest event around and most of the toilets and still outhouses but I still love going and it will always be Home.
Amanda