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‘Miss Lucy’s Picnic’ to celebrate 60th year
By Lynn Hotaling
The annual “Miss Lucy’s Picnic,” sponsored by the Webster Historical Society, will be held on “big lot” at Hedden House, now owned by Deborah and Terry Thompson, on Buchanan Loop in Webster on Sunday afternoon, July 2, at 5 p.m.
Now in its 60th year, the celebration of the Fourth of July was begun by Miss Lucy Hedden and Louise Buchanan and their Camp Fire Girls’ troop to commemorate the end of World War II. That year – 1946 – the two organized a parade through town beginning in front of the Hedden House and ending at the Webster School, according to Joe Rhinehart, historical society president.
“We organized the event with our Camp Fire Girls to have something nice to do on the Fourth of July,” Buchanan said Tuesday. “We had the picnic in Miss Lucy’s yard; I guess the name stuck.”
“The parade involved everybody in town and babies in carriages joined the walkers behind the American flag, Uncle Sam and Miss Liberty to march down the then-unpaved Main Street for an all-town picnic with games for the children and a softball game for adults,” said Rhinehart, who was Uncle Sam in that 1946 parade.
That day began the annual party, which has continued for 60 years in some form or other, he said.
The historical society took over the event 25 years ago and made it a part of the “Summer Evenings in Webster.” Each year, the picnic on the first Sunday afternoon in July opens the series of summer entertainments.
The gathering is open to all who wish to attend and be a part of Jackson County’s oldest continuous event, Rhinehart said.
The Deitz Family, Bill, Delores, Crystal, and Joe, will be on hand to provide music through the afternoon. The Declaration of Independence, true to the 1946 event, will be read to remind the audience of the real reason for the day.
Everyone is asked to bring a dish to share with friends and neighbors. The historical society will provide drinks and paper products, but guests will need to bring a blanket or chair. Children, a major part of 1946 day, are always welcome to come an enjoy the Thompsons’ “Big Lot,” which for years was the gathering place for Webster’s children (always under Miss Lucy’s watchful eye) to play in the shade of her big maple trees, Rhinehart said.
Sunday’s picnic will open the 2006 season of “Summer Evenings,” a series of programs that this year will celebrate its 25th year, that showcases the talents of area artists. The Sunday afternoon shows are free and open to all. Held in the historic 1881 Webster United Methodist Church at 5:30 p.m. on July Sundays, a reception in the churchyard follows each event.
For information on the picnic and “Summer Evenings” programs, call Rhinehart at 586-0921.
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