Fall picnic

The Fall Picnic is traditionally a hamburger cookout at Galway Circle, the open park area on Galway Drive between Tranquilla and Limerick.

Date/Time

The picnic has traditionally been the last Saturday of October. As of fall 2007, it is suggested to explore other dates to avoid conflicts with various other activities that weekend such as the Hexter Elementary carnival.

The picnic runs 2 PM – 4 PM.

Key Details

• Most of the key foods are donated by a local grocery store.
• Use of tables are donated by neighborhood residents. Check for residents who may have lots of tables, like florists.
• Attendees generally bring:
  • Chairs
  • Side dish or dessert
  • Adult beverages, if desired
• Halloween costume contest is run for the children with prizes awarded for most creative, scariest, and cutest costumes.
• Bounce house or other entertainment is arranged for children.

Implementation Schedule

Well in advance

• Assign picnic lead, who will organize picnic.
• Establish date and location.
• Conceptual idea of menu and activities.
• Reserve location, if necessary.
• Solicit food and materials donations.
• Make any reservations for rental supplies or equipment such as bounce houses.
• Verify that outdoor signs exist and are available.

A few weeks befrehand

• Invite city councilman, mayor, presidents of nearby neighborhood associations, and other officials as appropriate.
• Invite fire department, police department as appropriate.
• Plan for other entertaining events for children.
• Printed flyer delivered to all houses or prominent mention in newsletter.
• Arrange for house to run power from for bounce house.

A few days beforehand

• Second printed flyer distributed to all houses.
• Put up outdoor signs.
• Arrange for help:
  • Cooking crew.
  • Cleanup crew.
  • Person to pick up donated food.
• Arrange for nearby neighbors to provide roll carts for waste disposal.
• Emailed reminder to entire neighborhood.
• Find LPENA-owned supplies box and make sure it has necessary materials.

Shortly Afterward

• Send thank you letters to all donors.

Necessary Services or Materials

• One gas grill (provided by neighbors) and/or charcoal grill with charcoal and lighting mechanism.
• Stuff used directly with cooking:
  • Cooking utensils:
• Long-handled hamburger turner.
• Long-handled knife.
• Paper towels

• Hand sanitizer
• Latex gloves

• Stuff used by attendees:
  • Plates and bowls
  • Fork, spoon, knives
  • Paper towels
  • Napkins
• Food (assuming hamburgers are main course):
  • Buns
  • Meat
  • Vegetables: lettuce, tomato, pickle
  • Condiments: mayo, lettuce, ketchup
  • Sliced cheeses
• Ice chests and ice
• Large trash bags
• Bounce house
• Name tags and markers
• Roll garbage can for trash disposal
• Prizes for costume contest

Some of these items may already be in an Association-owned plastic box. Find and verify contents of this box a few days beforehand.

Costs

The donor grocery store covers most the costs. LPENA usually covers everything else.

Be sure to use LPENA’s tax exempt form to bypass sales tax.

Tips

• Hot dogs are never very popular. The rationale was that children prefer them, but few are eaten.