Grab your lawn chair and come out to the 151st Gravel Springs Picnic

How often can you attend an annual event dating back to 1873? So, grab your best hat and lawn chair and come out to the 151st Gravel Springs Picnic way up in the wilds of Star Tannery. The historic event takes place on Saturday, August 10, 2024, at the famous Gravel Springs Lutheran Church Picnic Grounds, 1870 South Pifer Road, Star Tannery, VA.

The festivities are scheduled from 3 pm to 7 pm. Meals will consist of barbecue chicken halves, country ham sandwiches, hot dogs, hamburgers, sodas, bottled water, and ice cream. Music will be provided by Five of a Kind bluegrass band. The event will be held rain or shine and proceeds will benefit the maintenance and upkeep of the Gravel Springs Lutheran Church.

It was in 1873 that Thomas Cover decided to establish an annual picnic for the Star Tannery employees and their families. Later, the Star Tannery picnic would evolve into a reunion of former employees and for residents of Gravel Springs. The picnic would continue to grow into a major event in the Shenandoah Valley.

The picnic has remained scheduled on the same weekend for the last 150 years. After the tannery closed in the 1895, the picnic was immediately taken over in 1896 by the Ladies Aid Society of the Gravel Springs Lutheran Church. The name eventually changed to Gravel Springs Picnic.

A Winchester Star Newspaper article, Never Miss it, The Gravel Springs Picnic is a century old tradition, dated August 11, 1993, describes the pre World War II picnic preparation.

"Originally, the picnic was like a covered dish dinner comparable to those held by churches today.

Preparation for the event would begin days in advance when pies and cakes were baked.

As Saturday drew near, green beans were gathered from the garden and cooked, potato salad and coleslaw were made and packed in ice, chicken and country ham were fried, roasts were cooked, potatos were thinly sliced for homemade potato chips, and lemonade and ice tea were made.

On the morning of the picnic, a truck or wagon would pull up to kitchen doors throughout the community. Food packed in boxes or baskets would be loaded on board and people climbed in behind it for a trip to the grove besides the church.

In those days, every family had a their own picnic table, said David Brill, who's lived in the community all his life. Brill said that the tables, some of which were very long, were left at the grove all year and were maintained by the families who owned them. It was not unusual for a serious discussion to take place if someone claimed another's table.

The tables were covered with white cloths and often decorated with flowers.

Folks who did not have families drifted from table to table and be invited to eat something at each stop.

Along with family picnic dinners, there was also an ice cream stand and stands selling watermelons, candy and snacks.

Throughout the day, people would visit and catch up on the lastest gossip. They would also go for walks and spend time listening to musicians playing everything from marching band music to hyms."

Music has always been a major component of the picnic. In the early 1890s a group of young men from the community formed the Gravel Springs Brass Band. S. Romanus Heishman and his sons were the major influence in creating the band and were gifted musicians. The roster was dominated by Heishman’s, Himelright’s and Stein’s family members. The band entertained at the Gravel Springs Picnic, church functions, parades, and yard parties.

A Winchester Evening Star article, dated August 21, 1934 stated that over 3,000 people were estimated to have attended the Gravel Springs Picnic including representatives from every section of the Valley and many other parts of the state.

This year you can expect approximately 300 people to show up for the good eats and great Bluegrass music. There will be an excitement in the air come 3 pm., when folks begin waving, shouting, laughing, and soliciting the attention of friends and neighbors. The picnic spurs social interactions among town residents and nurtures a positive image of this historic community. Small town fests are the best. From year to year, many people schedule family reunions during this time, so old friends are always back in town. It is an enormous, fun packed, family filled get-together.

We enjoy this small-town festival for family, for friends and for community. We thrive on the laughs and conversations. It is about growing a next generation. A next generation is necessary for continuity to pass on the traditions for our great-grandchildren. It is what makes small towns the heart and soul of America.