On Sunday, August 24th, the Burgoyne Woods of St. Catharines rang out with laughter and music as Branch 31 held its annual summer picnic.
Rudolf Hlubik, a musician and entertainer visiting from Puchov Slovakia led the picnickers in song providing accompaniment on his accordion. He delighted picnickers with renditions of some lesser known but very humourous numbers. Mr. Hlubik came to Canada for the months of July and August to visit his daughter and son-in-law, Alena and Jozef Knizat of Niagara-on-the-Lake.
Picnickers, and especially the younger ones, had access to the public pool as well as tennis courts. A badminton net was set up and frisbees flew freely. Hamburgers, sausages, hot dogs, potato salad, greens, fruit and pastries rounded out a weather-perfect day. More Branch members showed up for the fun picnic than in recent years.
The day was organized by Alex Woodhouse and Emilie Bohunicky, and they were helped on the day of the event by their respective families, spanning three generations.
Branch 31 president David Woodhouse commented, "This year was the largest attendance yet. Alex [Mrs. Woodhouse] and I enjoy the branch picnic very much because it's a completely different atmosphere than the usual club dinners. There's no discussions about the finances or any other club business. The branch picnic is simply a social event. We get a chance to just sit and talk to each other. We get to learn more about the people that we see at meetings and dinners. The picnic is just a bunch of people having something to eat and drink together. Everyone just seems more relaxed. We don't have any fancy food, no elaborate desserts but it always seems like everyone really enjoys the day. It's a lot of preparation but worth every bit to see everyone laughing and singing. I'd like to thank everyone that took the time out of their weekend to attend. I hope everyone enjoyed themselves and that they will spread the word so more people will attend the next picnic."
Text and Photos: Stephen Reistetter
