Sun shines brightly on annual Countrie Picnic
)RU WKH fiUVW GDy RI IDOO, LW FHUWDLnOy VWLOO IHOW like summer as Lower Gwynedd Township hosted its annual Countrie Picnic Sept. 22 at Penllyn Woods Park.
The fall festival offered music, food and entertainment as a number of activities took place throughout the day.
Among the activities was the Taste of Lower Gwynedd, where local restaurants offered samples of their food. Participants paid A5 for a ticket for each restaurant and were treated to a variety of food. Participating restaurants in this year’s Taste of Lower Gwynedd were Spring House Tavern, Tony Roni’s, Il Giordino Pizza, Arpeggios, Nina’s Italian Cuisine, Scoogi’s, La Villa Mexico and Mr. Ron’s rice pudding and coleslaw. The food sampling tent has been going strong for more than nine years and Chairwoman Louise Hayeck said it’s a nice feature that allows residents to see what restaurants are out there. The idea of the food tasting came from her late husband and former township Supervisor George Hayeck, she said.
The event also included a demonstration by the K-V unit from the Abington Police DepartPHnW. 2IfiFHU DDnLHO )LVLFDUR DnG 0DWKHwV, the P-year-old German Shepherd named after TKRPDV 0DWKHwV, WKH RnOy RIfiFHU NLOOHG Ln the line of duty in Abington, presented various training techniques used to teach police dogs proper obedience and demonstrated how Mathews takes down a suspect, using an assistant wearing a protective sleeve.
Another highlight of the event was a 50/50 UDIflH wKHUH 100 WHnnLV bDOOV wHUH GURSSHG IURP DWRS D fiUHWUuFN ODGGHU WR D VSUDy SDLnWHG target on the ground. Participants each paid for a chance and guessed to see which ball would hit the closest. This year’s grand prize was A450 for the ball closest to the bull’s-eye.
$GGLWLRnDOOy, WKH fiIWK DnnuDO bDNH-RII WRRN place during the Countrie Picnic. Larry Altman, a committee member, said this year allowed anyone to judge the samples of cakes, pies, brownies, cupcakes and cookies that were all baked from scratch. Winning participants each received a medal for their entry.
Sandy Feight, parks and recreation director, said the day was great for the community. She said not only was the Countrie PicnLF finDnFLDOOy DIIRUGDbOH, buW LW wDV DOVR WKH perfect way to kick off the fall season.
“vou couldn’t have asked for a better day,” she said.
Township Manager Larry Comunale said it was a beautiful day and was happy to see the large turnout. He said it’s a great community event that allows the residents to talk to each other and have fun.
“We need to do more of these things so people meet their neighbors,” he said.
Lower Gwynedd Supervisor Stephen Paccione said the event made up for the inclement weather from the previous year that canceled the Countrie Picnic. He said the event allowed the township to display a number of its programs, including I Like the Pike and GwyneddGreen, and said the facility shows what Lower Gwynedd is all about.
Kathleen Hunsicker, Lower Gwynedd board of supervisors vice chairwoman, gave thanks to the committee involved in putting the picnic together and especially thanked Feight for her efforts. She thanked the volunteers from Wissahickon Interact and Key Club for their work, which included mannLng WKH bRRWKV DnG KDnGOLng WKH UDIflH money.