The Collett and McKay Picnic.

     The annual gathering of these well known families took place last Saturday, in a beautiful grove on the farm of D. M. Collett, a few miles this side of New Burlington. For two or three years previously, this picnic has been broken in upon by rain, but last Saturday the weather was delightful, and the attendance larger than usual. The dinner, one of the principal features of the occasion, we missed, as we did not arrive on the ground until after two o'clock, but from our experience on former occasions, we can readily believe what was told us, that we missed a great deal by not arriving before dinner.
     Of the Colletts and McKays, there were over two hundred persons present, and some twenty-five or thirty invited guests made the company a large one, and the day was spent in true social enjoyment.
     It is so customary, now-a-days, where there is a gathering of people, to force some one to be bored into making a speech to bore all the rest, that we think it worthy of mention that no speaking was allowed. We commend the managers for this stroke of genius, and hope they may continue to so manage future picnics.
     There is nothing remarkable about these gatherings, except the numerously related families, who are either Colletts or McKays, and there is no danger of making more than one mistake in addressing those present, but there is solid comfort in looking in upon them in their annual visitation. They cannot, any of them, visit all their relations, even once a year, at their homes, so they assemble in a kind of labor-saving way, and visit all at once, and the friendly handshakes of grandmas, grandpas, aunts, uncles, cousins, nephews, nieces, &c, &c., are positively a pleasure to behold.
     There has been but one death in the connexion the past year, Mrs. Austin, whose decease we chronicled a few months ago.
     As a sample straw of the political complexion of the gathering, we took a note and learned there were sixty-five voters present, and all but six of them are staunch Hayes men, and of the Allen men only one was a Collett, and he resides in Lima, O., and there is no McKay that has any desire to see the election of any Democrat. This polling was not part of the programme, and but three or four knew anything of it, and possibly we ought not to have mentioned it here, but we do not think any of them are ashamed to be known as staunch Republicans.
     The families separated in the late evening all regretting that the day had been too short for the good long talks they wanted to have each with all the others. We drove home by the light of as beautiful a harvest moon as ever decked our earth with golden light, feeling that the afternoon had been a delightfully pleasant one.

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     The Collett-McKay annual reunion came off at Mount Pisgah last Saturday. Over two hundred members of the families and their connections were present. The occasion was an exceedingly pleasant one.

(Provided courtesy of Eric Dickerson.)

Special Dispatch to the Cincinnati Gazette.

Wilmington, O., Aug. 16.

     The annual picnic of the well-known Collett and McKay families of Clinton County, took place on last Saturday, in a beautiful grove on the farm of D. M. Collett, in Chester Township. The two families were largely represented, there being over 200 persons present connected by family ties. In addition, about fifty invited guests were present, and the whole assemblage passed the day and delightful social recreation. No speeches were allowed, something remarkable in the way of gatherings of the present day. A poll of voters present showed fifty-nine for Hayes and six for Allen.

     The annual picnic of the Collett and McKay families will take place on Saturday next at the grove where the same have been previously held.

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     The Collett and McKay Picnic will be held this year on the second Saturday in August, at the usual place of holding these pleasant gatherings.

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