Guide to planning and conducting County Farm Bureau picnics. Offers suggestions for committees, selecting dates and venues, and programing

Dexter, A. J.

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South Dakota State University Open PRAIRIE: Open Public Research Access Institutional Repository and Information Exchange SDSU Extension Leaflets SDSU Extension 5-1-1922 The County Farm Bureau Picnic A. J. Dexter Follow this and additional works at: https://openprairie.sdstate.edu/extension_leaflets Recommended Citation Dexter, A. J., "The County Farm Bureau Picnic" (1922). SDSU Extension Leaflets. 13. https://openprairie.sdstate.edu/extension_leaflets/13 This Pamphlet is brought to you for free and open access by the SDSU Extension at Open PRAIRIE: Open Public Research Access Institutional Repository and Information Exchange. It has been accepted for inclusion in SDSU Extension Leaflets by an authorized administrator of Open PRAIRIE: Open Public Research Access Institutional Repository and Information Exchange. For more information, please contact michael.biondo@sdstate.edu. EXTE l\IAY, 1922 The County Fann Bureau Picnic A. J . DEXTER A istant County Agent Leader An Ideal Picnic Ground in Hamlin County Extension Service, South Dakota State College Dis tributed in fur theran ce of Ac·ts of Congress of May and .June 30, l!) 14 W . F . Kumlicn, Acting Director U 11 If II II II 11 11 II II 11 11 I I 11 fl II II H II II H It II rt I NTRODUCTION. II n II 11 This lea fl et i s pr epared in answer to 11 11 many i nquiries for i n format ion on the " 11 organizs..tion and conduct of the County 11 11 Farm Burea u p icnic . After a study of 11 11 the ethods used in arr anging and " 11 st aging the fifty ... six county and com- " " unit y I,'3..t"m Bureau picnics held in the " 11 st · te lc:.st year , we believe we are in " " a posL ion.. t o of fer some go od sugges-11 "• ti ns as to things that should and u 11 should not be done at these f ar m gather~ " n ings .. II II 11 Tl II II II 11 !I 11 II 11 11 II II II 11 11 If II 11 tr II II If Planning the Picnic~ The most succes s ful picnics are planned s ev-eral months in advance~ The County Agent should und er no circumstances make -all arrangements or conduct the picnic as a one-man affair,, He should or ganiz e a picnic committee. In Counties having ~ community clubs or township organizat ions, a c om.-: mittee should be selected by each local organi za-tion. In putting the picnic proposit.ion up to tho l oc a l units either by letter or visit, the county agent should be careful to make clear t hat a ll -arrangements are to be made by the loca l commit-tees at a joint meeting. This gives the local co111Tatteemen the feeling that they are truly run-ning things- If this is to be- a f armer s' picnic and st8.ged entirely by f armer.s, oftentimes their price and a desire to put on a real picnic can be aroused by mentioning the fact that the business me~ r.f th.e towns w:i.11 be watching to see what kind of Q, picnic the far;ners c an pull off. In count·ies l ac ku1g community organizat i ons, the picnic c -Jn;:n:.t~ee ca n be a~pointed by the Farm Bureau Doard of Directo rs , cho vs~ng man especially fitted for carrying out such parts of the '?--rrangements as Prep'aration of Grounds >St ands , Sports , Speakers, etc. · The G3neral /";.cimmi tt ee :Me ets .. Jus t as soon as the l ocal committees are formed , a joint meeting should be ca l l ed and a picnic cha irman and secretary elected. The place to hold the picnic, financing, program, advert is-ing, and sub-committees should be thoroughly dis-cussed . · The county agent should guide the dis~ cussion but the committee should make the deci-sions~ Results of the meeting should be given ( -publicity in the local press~ Minutes of the meh-ing s!-1ou}_d be mailed to all a sent committee mem-ar s a-iid all 0f ~he newly appointed sub-committees ... (( Selecting~ Date. The selection of th date is import ant as it should be at a season of they ar when weather conditions ar fairly we.11 s ttled and rushing fi eld operations not interfer ed wit h , as in ~he harvest se son ~ Another thing t o avoid i s con-flicts ith other celebr tions in the county . Tho day of the w ek is i mportant. Usually a Tues-day makes a good day for the r eason that people wi ll often take a day off early in the week, when they woul d not think of doing it lat er due to a desire to get a cert ·.n pioce of work done beforo the veek is over . Holidays such as I,:e-i1orial Day or the Fourth of July should not be chosen. Choosing the Place. Choosing the place to hold the picni c is im-portant . A .Line location is nea:r a body of water if the lake or river is located advantageously for the l argest number in tJ.18 co nnty . A picnic ground sheuld have shade if possible . If locat ed in an out - of- the- way place , the entrance roads s 110uld be placarded . Definite arrangements about the use of the grounds should be made to avoid misunderstandings about rental and cleaning up after the picnic. __..§1 the Progr am Should Contain . The program- shouLl b planned v- • th c~e , and e well balanced- - not all sport nor all speeches , but some of both~ Never arrange for more than t vo good outside speakers and pr ferably , one. Choose -speakers that are accustomed to speaking out-of-doors and have a subject of interest to -all. If speak rs canr:ot meet these t 1 0 qualifi-cations , i t is b tter not to have any. Local peop le s hould be placed 6n t h e progr am ~ es pecially for musical numbers . The Pres itlSrit of the County Farm Bureau should give a short talk. The County g ent c an gi ve a gri e f report of his work. In count i es having community clubs, t he pro-gr am might cont a in numbers by e a ch cl ub. VJhere-ever this has been tri ed , it has proved very suc-ces sful, as it develops a friendly rivalry be-t ween t ;e clubs and dr aws people out from each community to see how their club compares with the rest. Boys' and girls' demonstration teams are a pleasing feature on any program. Stock judging contests if carefully planned are interesting. Baseball games are popular at picnics and consist of farmer teams selected to represent sides of the county: namely, East vs. West. 'l'No communities known to be deadly rivals will oft8n~ times furnish the teams for a good picnic game. The idea of playing for a bi g purse should not be t olerated at a farmers' picnic as this is not the · f eature of the picnic to . play up. The tug-of-war is a popular picni c sport. Tournaments are oftentimes arranged with several communities represented by either six or ten-men te.ams. The pony potato race, foot races, contests for the women and the boys and girls, are vari-ous fe atures that can be worked in. Arr anging ~ Order .2..f. the Program. The vital part of the picnic is the order of the progr am. The success or failure of the picnic ( l ( depends upon this. Whatever takes place in the two hours aft er the picnic lunch is the feature of the picnic, and nothing sho uld be allowed to interfere ,with it. If this is the time set as ide for the speaking, the sport enthus i asts should not be allowed to start -their games . The · following program i s sub-mi tted as showing good order: 10:30 A~ I~. Baseball game - East side vs. West side. 12:00 Picni c Lunch. 1:45 P. M~ Band music or community singing. 2 : 00 P. M~ Sho rt tal k by Pr esident of Farm Bureau. 2:10 P . IvL,SBng by Gl ee Club of a community clu.bo 2 ;20 P. 1; . Co rnet duet by members of a corn-muni t y club ... 2:30 P .. M .. Vocal solo by member of community club. 2 :40 P. JI . Address by speaker of the day. 3 :30 P. ~.1 .. Song by a community club. 3 :LH) P .. M .. Stunt by a community club. 3 :50 P. 11/ ucoonn quartette of ·a community club. 4:00 P ~ M. Brie f report by county agent • . 4:20 P. w~ Song by a community club. 4:30 P .. ii'l . Foot r aces and special sports. 5:00 P .. M. Tug-of-war tou:tnament bet ween teams from various community clubs or pa~ts of county. The Sub- Committees and their Duties. -Th~ sub- committees are appointed by the gen-eral committee and . should consist of a finance committee, a grounds committee, a police committee, \' a stands commit t ee, a cof ee committee, a water committee , a band committee, a transportation com. mitt ee, and a committee for each division of t .he sport s . The ch-Jo s:I ng of t ... e p~rs onne l for each com.. mit t ee i sirnp .:i:d,c:..nt a.vid should be tho r oughly discuss ed b-y the 3eneral committee. Only men known t o be y;j 1b.r:i6 ·to assume r esponsibility shoul d b e chosert .. Each man should be made t o f eel that i f he falls down on the part o f the or k as-signed to h 5.m , it will not be done at a ll o The fi nance commi ttee will see that all ex~ p enses a r e kepi within t h e i nc owe. I f a callee; tion is neve ::;;r:,a:r y, this will be made by t he f in-a nb e c ormni b, ':;8 o The g:r.0 °.n .. -:l::! <,;0!dt:.l~t ~e s}iou:!.d put the gr o 1.mds i n ore1er 1 ar-1·a11g., 10r s-p,:=-.alr•~r:➔ ~ stB,.10. , seats:-p iano i f rJ.e odGd, w.:,r.1sr.:. ll s rest tent , an d placard entranca t o gro-unJs if . necess:::J.r y., T.r1e oli c ~ e m:.JrJlt-cs e will h av 0 char ge o f parkiflg ca·cE~ 5.!m -~·t:1 s-cd ng abs :.1lute q1 let during the spealdr,g P- 0g~:c1.1L -: The ste,rt~ <:.:/'1·1i:·i t. ceo s}10 illi. b1.~i 'j d -the salas st a .1ds , orc.D'".' yir•c C1 ,., :~a.ry svpp l :'1.es , e.nd assist :.n cps.rating t'n.e st ;:.~_v .. .:;;:;,, '!'he r: i.:f.:c ·., -: :,:r-;:·i:: t t e~J Ghoi~l-1 :-112.ke a svpply ~ f go0d hot co 1' f ns for ::; &lG at a 1·eaJvJ::.s.ble p1·ic 8 per bu.•~ket z, The water cNnmittoe wil l s ee that a s upp ly -o f good dr inking water is . kept availabl e s upply-i ng a t an k and several chained cups~ 'The band comm.i. t t e9 will s cure a band and if t h ey d es i r e , promise the m0:1 t:1eir dinners . I f t hi s i s done , the committee shoul d see that t ~·1e men a.re distribut ed ai o u::1d through the fam-ily gl'Oup s . AL:-rn st every group will invite a l 1-:.inr_ man to P-at with them if request ed by th e C 0 Y:l:'.'!J.:_ t ~-. 'r:3 • I • rt The transport at ion com~ft}ee;e ~J i '.1'1;~ ~pp1~~f1 \i . ·· -L ruck and h aul n a cass a ry lumoer , piano, and' · Jupplies. The c ommittees for the various divisions of the sports sha ll h av e their particula r activities o well planned t'1at they can ba pulled off v · th -:.-J.o delays between events ,, An anno unco:r with a goc.d voice and big mega.. nhone should be secured . The crowd can be kept :·.nfor:--ed at all times of the events , participants, and ·:,•i nne:- s • . \]1 af f air of this b nd wo uld not be complete -::·'"i-:; r1 , · ·/; a p:. :~nic lunch. The s ociab le, neighbcrly i~·elinc o f al l gathering in the same grove to eat tc,,-:--c ·~her is a feature to be emphasized . In the p ubli city given the ~Jicni c, pe0ple should be encouraged t o come early , to bring their lunch, also empt y pails a nd cups for sec,.lring coff =3 e to be furnished at cost on the grounds oy the c0,. fee con1mi.ttee. The big coffee companies will often-time s furni0 h the coff ee free and sometimes a man to make it if they are allowed to put up a sign advertising their product over the co ff ee st a ndu The loc a l creamery will often tim•3S fun1ish s weet cream for the coffee. For people who do not drink coff ee, _sweet, rich , ice-cold milk s .. 1o u~d b e prF.l:p vided for sale at cost . Secure a coup : e of f ar-mer ' s girls dressed in white to sell the milk .. ~~:se tuber c ulin tested milk , a dverti s e it by a big placard , and drive home a lesson. It is no~ a l ways possible to s ecure a good b and ,:,:-;::.thout too much expa s0... However, if a co m .ittee of f armers approaches the band men, very often they offer their services during the noon hour free of charge, especially if they are promised their dinners. Many counties have farmer bands. Band music is desirable though not absolutely essential to the success of the picnic. Concessions .. No concessions should be sold at a Farm Dureau picnic. The st ands should be op erated under the supervision of the st ands committee, but it i s advisa le to pay an experienced stand man by the day to look a ft er the detai ls t superintend the making of the coffee, advise as to order::.ng supplies, etc. F:i.rw.ncir..g the Picnic. Various methods are used to finance the picnice Som,3 charge for admittance to the ball game, ot l ers t-, a dance held in the evening, some opsr ate stsn-5..... e:t a profit, some secure bus5.:ieas m~n of the to1.vns to contribute , and othei.' S us s Far-rn Bu.t6au fmicls ~ Ordir.a.rily the on:i.y 8a j;.1 (::.llS8 S wl-.e re farms:-:· ball tea.ms play a.re for a sp ca)~er and a f::-\'.: p .-;_zt0s for r a ces y The eas iest ~r.sLh~d of han.6.L.ng tl1e fir1ances is to a.ppropria.t e the a.mount nGG-c ..,d from the Farm Bureau funds, but where tr..sse are not ava.5.lable, a collection on the grounds ·of not to exceed a dime from anyone, will p ay for _the race p~izes. Advertising the Event. The advertising should consist of general -press notices telling of the meeting of th co rn,.. mittees • . Circular letters can be sent to the community clubs for reading by the secret ary. These should emphasize the community •competi tion to i nstigat ~ friendly rivalry ... \\ The stores Will r _un spec ial pi tnic 11 ads",. H~ndbills c an be used, '!he auto poster is one of the most effective Tlads" of all. Sp-ecial stunts such as circ·ular posto.ards and picnic -notices st amped on envelopes give good adver-tising. The i.Q:ditors are usually gl ad to give ~pa ce, to picnic ·stories. If cut s are available of any of the officers of the Farm Bure au, of the committeemen, or· of t he speaker s, they ca n b~ ·.med to good advantage. If -the main speaker . is a man of some epute, it ~ou1d b e well to ·write him in advance for a copy· of his address or at least for a digest~ Thus an advance story of s ome length can be furnished the editors a week or more ahead to be s et up and all ready t ·o run. Then t he edit or will be ready to go with a big fro nt page story as soon as he gets the final story on the crowd, stunts, etc .• Conclusion. The s uccess o f the picnic depends absolut ely upon the organi zation and selection of the com-mitteemen. At ~ome o f the picnics held last year. everything ran s moothly, one event succeed-ing another without int errupt ion_ The County Agent was conspicuous by the t ime he had to greet the picnickers indiv i dually. ·Tfle picnic seemed to be running without his personal attention. V1fhat a di fference at other picnics. Everything confusion. People standing around waiting for things t o happen. Everybody rushing to the coun-ty ag ent ~ith a million l a st minut e details. The agent ran here, there, and everywhere with no time t o talk t o anyone. He wa ~ glad when it was . time for people to go home _and so was everyone else. It pays to organize and organize well. Ref erence . · ' · A very good c i r cul ar on Pi cnic s ongs , p l ay tames fo:-- t lo children , ialoguos ' etc .' . has belsn 1.s2,;e,~. by the States Relations Ser v ic e , U, s . Dar;a..·":,rfr{:•rr: ot' ~ gricult ure, ?..;·;hingt on, D. C. As·k ' or Fo r m 24 3 by W. A. Lloyd , Note: Strike off some copies of the follo wing song for use at your picnic. It is easy to sing and never fails to get r esults. The Optimist 4 Words by C. W · 11er Tune: 11 Tu'r key in the st r av" .. Oh , his horse went dead, and his mul e went lame, And he lost his crop in the feedin ' game; Then a -hurricane came a.long one day, .And blaw ·the house where he lived away . An Gar-+;hqnake came when that was go ne, And s·_.,~_l1oued up the l and that the ltous e st ood on ; T118 taJC coll6Gtor aame aroutld And charged him up with the hole in the ground . CHORUS: Hole in the ground, t e , he, he! Was he discouraged? No sir ••• ee ! He j oined the Far m ,Bureau and t he spell went down And n0w he's the mascot o f the to"l!nships around. ' " Oh, the we ather' s gett i ng colder, and the hena won ' t l ay· Cc r n •s way down and wheat don 1t pay; , E0 gs n o better, steers too cheap , Cows quit milkinl and t he meat won 't keep. Oats a ll heat ed, spuds. a ll f roz e, Fruit crops busted , wind still b lows; Sn eep seem p uny, an ' I 'l l be darned , The rye fie ld' s flooded and the hay stack burned . CHORUS: Hay stack bur ned , t e J he, he! Was he dis cour aged? No siree' . He j umped right in ,and pul led 'with the bunch .And now he ' s glad that he got the hunch, Oh 1 coal is high an' crops is low, Rai l r at es double, got no show, Money's tighter> mora l s l oos e, Bound to get us, what ' s the use ~ Suns not shinin ' as it sho uld, Moo n ~in't shinin' like it could ; Looks s ome gloomy 1 I 'll admi t , But it ain ' t down yet! Well , I guess nit ! CHORUS: He hain 't down yet, te, he , he ! Was he disco~aged? No, siree ! He works for his township and worka ev ery minut e And now· thefre all glad that he l i ves in it . Yes , t he farmer must, i f he would succ eed , Join wi th the ot hers i n thi s time o f need, To work out a plan of work and gr in In this game of life so we all can win. A pl ace i n the sun with all white folks , Whe r e honest toil wins him more than jokes ; Let 1 s stand together in a solid row And f i ght it out through the Farm Bureau .. CHORUS: Ho le in t he ground? No s iree , Not yet , neighbor, ,not for me , So come along wi th me , and l et ' s go To the regular meet in' o f t h,e Farm Bureau .. 

The County Farm Bureau Picnic

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The County Farm Bureau Picnic

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