Back they came. Every year since the Civil War the descendants of four marriages between the Colletts and the McKays have been meeting here. Some trace their lineage 5, even 10, generations back to these 4 weddings. According to the register books, which only go back to 1885, around 400 people came to the very early picnics. And all, of course, came by horse or on foot. In 1926 two came by airplane, all the way from Columbus, OH, also according to the books. All but a very few came from someplace in Ohio.
     But for this 135th Annual Picnic, all 278 arrived by some kind of petroleum burner: car, truck, plane, bus. And 43 came from 14 States outside Ohio.
     The festivities began at 12:30, though the preparations began long before. Mowing and raking of the 4 acre picnic site at Gurneyville and Inwood road, started weeks before. Baking, roasting, stewing, and poaching (of the salmon) began the day before. And setting up of the 175 feet of antique board picnic table began at 9 am.
     One after dinner activity was the "Scavenger Hunt" for historical facts and artifacts. Here is the report of Quentin Haigh, picnic sports correspondent, and (5)great-grandson of Jonathan Collett and Sarah McKay, picnic co-founders: "The captains of 3 teams, ages 4-18, were Jeweliann Billingsley, Jenny Wroughton, and Charlotte Haigh. The quest was 5 picnic-related items (youngest/oldest person present, and acorn, ticket stub from the currently running Ohio State Fair, and a hat with any State name on it). The prize was a dollar each for the winning team. Dan Doster collected loose dollar bills from likely looking bystanders and many if not all the contestants were declared winners."
     As part of the musical portion of the picnic, Paul Martin brought his hand made cello, and a mini-concert was performed by his son Jack. Many music loving observers found the quality of the instrument and the performance "inspiring".
     Another after dinner activity is the search for the youngest baby. It's an important way the picnic continues to flourish over the years. This year Archer Maguire, Nathaniel Denny, and Zoe Price were serious contenders born last November and December. But Madison McKay was the youngest, at 150 days. A senior member of the picnic family, Esther Doster, was also present and perky at 36,000 days.
     Probably the most useful historical record of the picnics would be a collection of the yearly newspaper reports, like this one. The committee is now seeking talented and dependable writers to keep alive the tradition of full and honest descriptions of the Collett/McKay Picnic proceedings.