Letter to the Editor from Frank Wheeler

Jameson Picnic Bigger and Better than Ever!

I have been going to the Jameson Picnic for forty-two years and I’ve never been disappointed. The rainy weather and an uncooperative carnival provided major frustration for the organizers and supporters of the Picnic. Thank you all for providing another memorable weekend for my family and me.

I am continually amazed at the resilience and fortitude of the people from Daviess County and the surrounding area. Thursday was the usual opening night at the Picnic. Local talent from youth and adults provided great entertainment for the large crowd that came to watch friends, family and neighbors perform. But after Friday night’s entertainment was cut short because of rain and Saturday starting off wet, the potential for major disappointment was in place.

Because it was still drizzling, I knew for sure the tractor pull was a wash out and I was concerned about the parade. When I arrived at the park to get ready for the parade, members of the Lion’s Club told me the carnival was pulling out! Not really knowing what to say to that I went to the school parking lot to help line up the parade, hoping that people would not be scared off by the rain. I wondered what would happen to the picnic with the carnival gone, and what my kids would think when I told them!

Just when I thought the fun might be over, it really started. The rain stopped, old faces and new came with entries for the parade making it as nice as years past. No one seemed to be “put off” by a little rain. When I got back to the park after the parade, people were on their cell phones tracking down blow-up bouncing rides that could be brought to the park for the kids to enjoy. Volunteers headed home and to stores to bring back items and prizes for homemade “games of chance,” that could provide entertainment and bring in some lost revenue.

And you know what, it worked! People stayed and patronized the cook-shack, kids jumped in the moonwalk, and people tossed rings at pop bottles. Kids ran the games while parents watched on, and people sat in lawn chairs and visited while a band played on stage.

There for awhile many of us were concerned that we needed to save the Jameson Picnic when the carnival left town by coming up with things to do. And even though we made it a little more fun for some of the kids, we really found out that the Picnic didn’t need saving. We remembered it isn’t the rides and sideshows that make the Picnic, it’s the people and their spirit that keeps us coming back.

I want to thank the members of the Lion’s Club that work hard all year long to organize the Picnic, the area people that help get the town and park ready, the businesses that donate money and merchandise, the volunteers that work in the cook-shack, the ladies that donate pies, and the people that come to the picnic each year. I know next year will be bigger and better than ever but this one will be hard to beat!

Sincerely,

Frank Wheeler