Colletts and McKays Gather in Chester Township

     270 men, women, and children (and 4 dogs) attended the traditional gathering of members of the Collett and McKay families, for the 131st consecutive time, at the dedicated picnic grounds on Gurneyville Road. As usual, it was a beautiful second Saturday in August. The forecast of afternoon thunderstorms was of no apparent concern, as picnic baskets were unpacked and displayed along the 156 feet of walnut planked tables under the maple and oak shade trees.
     Qualification for attendance at this event requires meeting one or more of these criteria:

1. A known connection, by birth or marriage, to the 4 Collett siblings who married 4 McKay siblings in the early 1800's.
2. An invited guest of same.
3. A peacefully curious person who happens along.

     It's sad, in a way, that society has had to contrive name devices mainly to keep everyone's property straight. Women change their names when they marry, but they still carry the blood, and the genes. So some mistakenly feel they are not part of the family if their name isn't Collett or McKay. But a look at the big register book, that goes almost all the way back to 1866 when the first picnic was held, shows many hundreds of names besides those first two: Sabin, Bogan, Denny, Wilgus, to name just a few.
     Wilbur McKay, Trustee, opened the picnic, shortly after noon, with a ceremonial clapping of hands to quiet the multitude. Rev. Roger Hilbert, pastor of Jonahs Run Baptist Church gave a thunderous request for blessing on the people and the food. And the eating and visiting began in earnest.
     It's customary to find the youngest child and introduce him/her to the oldest adult. Cody St. John, age 3 months, was thus introduced to Helen Feike, age 95, his Great Plus Grand Cousin.
     Jimmy Billingsley, a pre-teen with hair a shade of red definitely under McKay influence, stepped up to one of the creaky older gentlemen. "Pardon me, Sir, your suspender is unclipped in back." "Can you fix it?" "Yes, Sir." You don't see such kind and tender caring on TV much, but you see it all around a family gathering like this.
     Don Ames, a Delta pilot from near Salt Lake, came here with his wife and daughter, to check out his roots. Among others he met the willowy New York artist Susan Doster, whom he used to baby sit while her parents attended Ohio State.
     The 4 acre picnic site, used for no other purpose and belonging to the picnic itself, was immaculate. This is because Don, Chuck, and Herb Collett, Wilbur and Wayne McKay, Ron Whitaker and Brian Vaughn all helped mow and trim and set up and take down tables, and haul water for the restrooms. A few minutes before the first cars arrived, Don was seen touching up the front gate with a pair of hand pruning shears, getting the last little vine and weed out of the fence. The Collett/McKay "Cookie Jar", prominently displayed by the register book, collected $300 which helped pay the out of pocket costs, like taxes and mowing, that were not covered by the many volunteers.
     A touching postscript to the happy event came in a phone call from Howard Volz. He and his wife are semi-invalids living in nearby Harveysburg. He was raised by his grandfather Sabin MacDonald, who's related to Arnold Sabin, who's daughter married Robert Collett. He wasn't sure he would be entitled to come to the picnic. Is he entitled? Well, we reckon he is!
     And so are many others entitled. It's a once a year opportunity to check in with your family... to brag, to look, to learn, to forgive and be forgiven.
     51 people came from outside Ohio.