Colletts, McKays picnic together for 121st year

     "A notable event, differing from ordinary public assemblages, occurred at Pisgah Heights, distant ten miles from Harveysburg, where the entire kin and kith of two celebrated families of Ohio, to wit -- Collett and McKay -- joined in the pleasantest manner possible, to entertain one another agreeably to their own notions of social enjoyment and propiety."
     Thus began the account, published in the Wilmington newspaper in 1869, of the third annual Collett-McKay Picnic. Now, in 1987, there is little to change in reporting the most recent reenactment of that event.
     It was the same place (now Chester Township), the same date (second Saturday in August), and the same pleasantness. Two hundred and twenty members of the same two families enjoyed beautiful weather, delicious food, and friendly conversation. They came from Washington on the West coast, and Florida on the East coast, and many places in between.
     Wilbur McKay clapped his hands for attention and, with an invocation by Henrietta Collett Miller, the picnic began. As reported in the 1869 account the families again "behaved with propriety."
     Elton and Rosella Haines, from Greene County, were there again. Their attendance at the picnic is a little sporadic, the last time being 1929. They checked the register for that year and saw that their signatures had not changed much. Elton, after all, was 32 at the time.
     Roger Thomas McKay was there, for the very first time. Grown locally, he hasn't been around much yet, being only 38 days old. Lauren Hynds, at 139 days and more worldly, traveled from Minnesota. Other newcomers of current vintage were Nathan Benjamin Collett and Amy Wengler.
     The 1869 account closes like this: "We finally took our departure, the dusty roads flying under our horses feet with the music of the stones under us and the winds whipping our coat-tails into very whip crackers; but ballasted with plenty of cake in the bottom of the vehicle." In 1987 we say: Finally the men disassembled the old yellow poplar table boards, some carved with initials B.J.C. and dates like 1899 to store for another year. The people packed hampers and coolers aboard their sleek and powerful motorcars, and headed home; some to complete the journey via jet, some just nearby; and all carrying the sense of family bond again strengthened for another year.
     In addition to the many family members from Ohio, these 41 came from out-of-state:
     Ann and Richard Baugh of Bowling Green, Ky.; Howard Doster of West Lafayette, Ind.; Susan Doster of New York City, N.Y.; Dave, Cynthia, Ashlee and Andrew Doster of Southfield, Mich.; Karen Doster of Phoenix, Ariz.; William Doster of Tempe, Ariz.; Stephen Doster of Buckeye, Ariz.; Karen, Charles, Bart, Chad and Robin Fabian of Des Plaines, Ill.; Shannon, Kathie and Lauren Hynds--of Apple Valley, Minn.; Brad, Jason, Tonya, Allen and Karla Inwood of Pittsburgh, Pa.; Ellen and Max Magee of Madison, Wisc.; Dwight, Lynn, Paul and Jeremy McKay of Lititz, Pa.; Rachel Pidgeon of Denver, Colo.; Jane and Debra Strecker of Medical Lake, Wash.; Cheryl Swinehart of Medical Lake, Wash.; Collette and Mary VandenBerg of Grand Rapids, Mich.; Jenna, Karen, Ed, Greg and Craig Wengler of Stuart, Fla.

     The annual Collett-McKay picnic will be held Saturday at the Collett-McKay picnic grounds at the corner of Gurneyville and Inwoods roads.
     A basket dinner will be shared at noon.