The Lost, Found & Dearly Departed

Another busy day!! We attended the 8th Annual Lost, Found and Dearly Departed Reunion Picnic in Harrisburg, PA. This event began 8 years ago when Rick returned to his hometown from Pittsburgh and attempted to reconnect with old friends and family. Some were already gone, some were simply lost and some, he was able to locate. In an effort to keep the friendships going and to honor those no longer with us, he called his friends and family together at a picnic. They began to bring their friends and so on and so on.

A couple years ago, the Blues Society of Central Pennsylvania got involved and started hauling in some fantastic musical entertainment. Rick and the BSCP opened the event to the public. An admission fee is charged and covers not just the great music (7 or 8 bands from noon til 10 p.m.) but also all-you-can-eat fried chicken, fried catfish, hand-cut fries, salads and much more. As with all family picnics, everybody brings something for the buffet table - often a dessert. Salads and sides are also welcome. There's almost always a birthday cake or two floating around. This is a BYOB event.

Mikey, Jr. (from Philadelphia)carried his mike and harmonica out

into the crowd, even serenading one of the youngest attendees!

They don't run out of food and everybody gets along. You're greeted with hugs. They take pictures of everybody that attends and post them on large picture boards. You can take a gander and see how you change from year to year. There are separate boards for the lost and departed. You're welcome to bring pictures of your own lost folks. This year the bands ranged form local groups to those from Philly, Norfolk, Pittsburgh and even Chicago. The mountain rocked!!

The Altar Boys from Steelton, PA got the day started with music

for everybody and all ages, playing some polkas, a little zydeco,
sliding into some country, a little blues and some driving rock.
They even threw in some golden oldies and even a little folk.

A good time was had by all!!

Busy, busy, busy - Fun, fun, fun!!!

As usual, we had another full weekend planned. As seems to have become the norm for me (at least in the last few weeks) the camera was home on the charging station, again!

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Friday, we did our regular routine of picnicing (I may have just made up that word!) in the park before the free concert of the week. It was an absolute picture perfect evening. Of course, I didn't have my camera! The Big Guy suggested I use the pics from all the other picnics in this park. So, I did cheat. Here are a few shots from last September. (Notice the leaves on the grass.) He's right. It looks the same (minus the leaves).

The park sits above a marina located where the Susquehanna River meets the Chesapeake Bay. It is so beautiful and relaxing sitting up on that hill. A huge crowd turned out on this splendid evening and the band, The Mojo Daddies, showed their appreciation by playing at least an additional half hour beyond the normal end time.

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On Saturday, we set off for an outdoor event in weather that can best be described as monsoon-like. We had checked the radar and it looked like there was a less than 50% chance of clearing between several lines of thunderstorms. We took our chances. (Nobody ever called us "brilliant!") We did plan ahead and take the minivan that we have actually off-roaded in before (Not a suggested use if you ask Ford and I never said that was pre-planned either.)

Okay, so we printed out the Mapquest directions and set off for Harrisburg, PA. Several times in that 2 hour trip we thought about turning around and calling it all off. But that was only when it was pouring so hard you couldn't see the road lines. We were heading off to something called "The Lost, Found and Dearly Departed." We weren't totally sure what we were getting into and we weren't sure the weather was going to let us find out.

It was a huge party featuring six bands - one from Baltimore, one from Chicago and several from the Greater Harrisburg area. There was an admission charge that also covered an all-you-can-eat spread of unbelievable proportions and awesome flavor. Beverages were on a BYOB basis. We are so glad we went. It was FANTASTIC!!

Turns out the field where we parked was passable despite inches of rain in the last day or two and there was a large pavilion to house the bands, food and all of us party-goers. There were a few heavy downpours throughout the day with sunny spots in between, lots of mud, lots of fun and laughter.

This shindig was begun in 2003 by a guy who had experienced the sudden losses of his father and several friends in a very short period of time. Those losses brought home the realization of how fragile life is and the need to touch base and keep track of those we love. He organized a reunion of his old gang (the Lost and the Found) and they honored those who were no longer with them (the Dearly Departed). They made an annual event of it and it has grown into it's present state. What a party!! It began at noon and was scheduled to roll on till 11 p.m. We scooted out about 8:15 as we had a long drive home ahead of us.

We've already noted our calendar for next year.

***One irony is the name of the location they used. (Background info: I come from a Post Office family. Both retired and current employees in the family have held all positions from carrier right up to regional postmaster for the Baltimore area. We tell postal jokes in this family and "going postal" is a term we often use.) I did get a kick out of the grounds being the "Postal Employees Gun Club." Does this mean they practice before going postal these days?

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We had a plan for today but, after such a long day yesterday (and a lot of muddy parking areas) we switched gears this morning and went to the casino for a few hours, did a little shopping at the Farmer's Market, had pizza for dinner and were home by 6 for The Big Guy's weekly pinochle game this evening.

Kind of makes you glad to have Monday, and a chance to relax, roll around!!