Picnic Time, at A2Z Gift Baskets

Let’s talk about where to have your company picnic:

How about the lunchroom of your company?  Too busy for a picnic? Rainy Monday? Try throwing a checkered tablecloth on the table, make a few of the “Ant treats” (see the Picnic Ideas article for recipes!) and viola—a company picnic! Your employees can eat their regular lunch in a picnic atmosphere, and smile for the rest of the day.
How about on the patio or grassy area of your business?  If you are a business owner fortunate enough to have an outdoor patio or even a patch of grass, there is another ideal place for a mid-day break for your hard working employees. Add some spice to this company picnic by serving up some chilled apple cider. You can even serve up a sandwich tray. Needing a tax write-off? Invite a few of your best customers and call it an entertainment expense!

Choosing the Food
One of the most important parts of memorable picnic dates is the food. On a first date, you should stick with picnic foods that have universal appeal. Select items that will not spoil easily. Sandwiches, cold chicken, and fresh fruit can be a good idea. Apples, Oranges, Grapes, and Pears make excellent side dishes. If you really want to make the picnic memorable, you can bring a nice bottle of wine to top off the meal. You should also bring some chips, crackers, and dips or spreads to balance the meal. Whether you are a new couple or old lovers, a picnic date is a perfect way to enjoy each other's company.

Picking the Right Place For Your Picnic
There are usually lots of options for a picnic destination (some better than others!). Because there are lots of options, the selection of the appropriate picnic place can be difficult. You usually want to visit an area so that you know it well before going on a picnic there. Taking a loved one (or a first date) to an unknown destination may bring along unwanted surprises or situations. Stick to areas familiar to you. Hopefully, you can park your vehicle fairly closely so you can return to it quickly if an emergency arrives. If you're an experienced outdoorsman, explore and try to find the perfect spot, but if you're new to hiking, it's not one of the classic date ideas to get lost!

The History of Picnics
'Picnic' began life as a 17th-century French word — it wasn't even close to being an American invention. A 1692 edition of Origins de la Langue Françoise de Ménage mentions 'biunique' as being of recent origin marks the first appearance of the word in print. As for how the French came by this new term, it was likely invented by joining the common form of the verb 'pique' (meaning "to pick" or "peck") and a nonsense rhyming syllable coined to fit the first half of this new palate-pleaser.

The first documented appearance of the term outside the French language occurred in 1748, but it was 1800 or thereabouts before anyone can prove it made it into the English language. Even then, it still wasn't in America — it was in England.

Originally, the term described the element of individual contribution each guest was supposed to make towards the repast, as everyone who had been invited to social events styled as "picnics" was expected to turn up bearing a dish to add to the common feast. This element was picked up in other 'picnic' terms, such as 'picnic society,' which described gatherings of the intelligentsia where everyone was expected to perform or in some other way contribute to the success of the evening.

Over time, the meaning of the word shifted to emphasize an alfresco element that had crept into the evolving concept of what such gatherings were supposed to be. Nowadays one thinks of a picnic as a casual meal partaken in a pastoral setting, not as a repast enjoyed either indoors or outdoors but which was contributed to by everybody. Modern picnics can be provisioned by only one cook, and no one would think anything of it -- what matters now is the food be eaten outdoors.

By the 19th century, 'picnic' had successfully made this linguistic shift in meaning. Its history (and that of every other word in the English language) is documented in the Oxford English Dictionary.

Articles and Products of History

A History Of Picnic Baskets For The Connoisseur
What image does the term “picnic” bring to your mind? Is it a tasty meal that becomes part of an enjoyable outing? Does it bring to mind picturesque settings such as lush landscapes and blue lakes? No matter what picture your mind may envision, a history of picnic baskets quickly reveals that at the heart of the picnic is a meal that is delectable in appearance, tasty to the palate, but first and foremost portable for the participants. Additionally, this very same history of picnic baskets will quickly evidence the steady improvements made to the humble carrying case of such morsels.

14th century England saw the earliest recorded picnics, which were nothing more than pre-hunt feasts and the foods of choice were ham and pastries. It appears that 16th century France referred to a picnic when restaurant diners chose to eschew the house wine and instead furnished their own vintages for enjoyment at the meal. The 18th century saw the institution of the potluck picnic which allowed for the responsibility for the meal to be spread amongst a number of parties; of course, this also allowed for a number of different tastes and meal ideas to be presented. Hence, history recorded its first need for picnic baskets. After all, how else could all these delicacies be transported from kitchen to meadow?

Naturally, the history of picnic baskets clearly shows that the proverbial wicker basket is a thing of the past, and the next generation baskets are here to stay. Many baskets these days still sport the traditional willow, but from there, some clear new avenues have been explored. The interior may be corduroy, or feature the red and white checked cloth so closely associated with outdoor eating, but the many accessories that routinely accompany this basket all but refuse to let it go into the murky depths of the history of picnic baskets without so much as an honorable mention. Whether it is a detachable wine duffel, or an included set of wine glasses and a corkscrew, these little baskets offer many amenities to keep the casual diner delighted, no matter what the content of the basket!

This file made possible by: The State of Washington
Washington State Department of Archeology and Historic Preservation

May Day picnic celebrates first irrigation water reaching Sequim Prairie on May 1, 1896.
On May 1, 1896, local farm families celebrate their completion of the first irrigation ditch carrying Dungeness River water to Sequim Prairie. Located in eastern Clallam County in the rain shadow of the Olympic Mountains, the fertile praire receives less than 17 inches of rain a year. Dug by hand by local farmers who organized the Sequim Prairie Ditch Company in 1895, the ditch marks the beginning of the Sequim Irrigation District. Over the next quarter-century, some 20 ditch companies construct a maze of canals throughout the Dungeness Valley, eventually creating a 25,000-acre canal-sprinkler irrigation system, the largest in Western Washington. The Sequim Irrigation Festival commemorating the opening of the first ditch has been held every year since 1896, making it the oldest continuing festival in the state.

When the first non-Indians settled the Dungeness Valley in the 1850s, they found an extensive open prairie dominated by native Garry oak, a landscape created and maintained by the Klallam inhabitants through carefully managed burning. Its agricultural potential was recognized by the earliest settlers. Visiting from Port Townsend in 1861, James G. Swan (1818-1900), wrote:

"The great fertility of the land in Clallam county, and particularly in the vicinity of Dungeness, is well known" (Swan).
But while other portions of the Olympic Peninsula are noted for record-setting rainfall, Sequim Prairie lies in the rain shadow of the Olympic Mountains and averages under 17 inches per year (less than parts of Eastern Washington). Moreover, most of this rain falls between October and June, so summers are particularly dry and dusty. Early settlers on the prairie raised cattle and did a little farming along creeks and rivers, but intensive agriculture required more water than the sparse rainfall provided.
"Men of Vision"

The Sequim Irrigation District had its origin in a supper get-together in the summer of 1895. D. R. Callen, who had observed irrigation systems in Colorado, convinced three fellow farmers that the fall of the Dungeness River from its Olympic Mountain headwaters provided sufficient force to carry the water up from the river bottom to the dry prairie. They in turn convinced others. While some doubters said water would never run uphill, over 20 "men of vision" (Keeting) organized the the Sequim Prairie Ditch Company in July 1895.

Cash was short. Needing a professional surveyor to file a water rights claim, the company hired Will Ware -- he was so recently graduated that they had to wait to file until he received his credentials, but he agreed to take some of his pay in potatoes.

The ditch company men did most of the construction themselves. They worked through the winter digging the ditch across the prairie, largely with picks and shovels. In the spring they built a square wooden flume to carry the water from the river bottom up to the ditch on the prairie.

On May 1, 1896, all was ready, and pioneer families from around Sequim Prairie gathered for a May Day celebration on the Callen farm next to the waiting ditch. After a festive picnic, ball games, races, and neighborly visiting, the headgate was raised, but at first the river water would not flow into the flume.

"Undaunted, the men located a wagon load of clay and picked up a wagon full of kids. They dumped the clay at the head of the flume in the gravel and told the kids to jump in. The kids got in to the river's edge in their bare feet and tromped the clay into the gravel until the water flowed over it into the flume. It wound its way, the muddy water slowly following the flume, then into the dusty prepared big ditch, and finally all the way to the furrow, right into the picnic area. The skeptics who had said that water couldn't run uphill were at last convinced" ("Festival History").
Farming Flourishes
With the viability of irrigation established, more ditch companies followed. Some 20 were organized by the late 1920s, constructing nine main ditches and and a web of laterals carrying water to individual properties. To spread more water over more land, the irrigators began to use overhead sprinklers fed by pumps in the ditches. Eventually 25,000 acres were irrigated by the largest system west of the Cascades.

The water propelled the growth of a flourishing dairy industry. By 1900 creameries were established at Sequim, Dungeness, and Washington Harbor, which functioned until transportation improvements allowed milk to be processed in Seattle. Produce, seed, and grain production expanded through the first half of the twentieth century. Sequim's landmark grain elevator, the tallest building in the area, was built in 1945 to accommodate the production and operated until 1977 (the building still stands in 2005, housing a restaurant in its base).

A Sequim Irrigation Festival has been held every year since the first celebration, moving into town after several years on the Callen property. May Day festivities with multiple Maypole dances were an important part of early festivals, which also featured polo games, animal acts, clambakes, and other activities. Festival queens have been chosen since 1908, with a more elaborate pageant dating to the 1950s. The festival has grown to a week-long event with parades, carnival, logging show, and many more events, all commemorating the first muddy irrigation water reaching the dusty prairie on May Day, 1896.