Gravel Springs Picnic brought us all back to simpler times

It looks like Thomas Cover was right again. It never rains on the Gravel Springs Picnic. After a tropical storm dropped a ton of rain on the entire Shenandoah Valley for two days, all was clear and dry on the second Saturday in August. Just like the previous 150 years.

It was estimated at about 5 pm, 400 to 500 people had attended the 2024 Gravel Springs Picnic held at the Lutheran Church in Star Tannery, amongst the rolling foothills of the Shenandoah Mountains. The Disabled Parking Lot was full, and cars and trucks were pushed to finding spaces out by the cemetery. I wonder where everyone parked when 3,000 people attended the picnic in the 1930s.

The picnic brought us all back to a simpler time when children, freely wandered the creeks and fishing holes and were connected in the community through school, church, scouting, and 4-H Club events. Parents did not schedule their kids activities. We relied on our imagination and played games on open fields without referees or any adult supervision. We hunted for soda bottles we could return for 2 cents to buy candy. We ate what was on our dinner plate, or else, and did our homework without parental assistance.

The Gravel Springs Picnic was an old fashioned affair providing a variety of dinner selections; BBQ chicken, ham sandwiches, hamburgers, hot dogs, macaroni salad, potato salad, baked beans, ice cream, cold drinks, and cakes and pies. The majority of the crowd was in the 60-to-90-years of age range and could definitely remember the more simple way of living. I came out with my dear friends Joan Callahan of Stephens City, and Marty Barley of Winchester, who took the photos for this article.

An important element of the Gravel Springs Picnic is the venue and the people who attend. It is the perfect location smack in the middle of Cedar Creek Valley with views of Little North Mountain and Great North and Paddy Mountains. The folks who attend this event have a free-spirited attitude towards life, one befitting their living in the wilds of Frederick County. They are self-reliant, hard-working, generous, loyal, and appreciative of the their blessings and make for good company. A successful picnic should be a great time catching up with loved ones, and a relaxing way to build memories and enjoy the presence of others.

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. Eating was the most popular event at this picnic. The smell of BBQ lingered in the air all day and the thought of having two scoops of delicious ice cream or a piece of cake or pie for dessert was delightful.

Five of a Kind entertained the picnic goers from 3-7 pm. The group has a personable and involve-the-audience approach to the music that has gathered them a large following throughout the area with their traditional blend of bluegrass and classic country. Some of their songs date back 60 or 70 years.

The picnic also included a live auction for cakes of all types and sizes, and a raffle for a special Mardi Gras cake.

Proceeds from the picnic benefit the maintenance and upkeep of this historic church which has given so much to the community.

If you have not attended this historic event, place it on your bucket list, and come on out in 2025.