Summer Symphony Picnicking ATX

Join our facebook group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/ExtremePicnickingATX/

Do you love a good picnic? We're not talking a Big Mac and fries at the river, on a blanket, with a bottle of wine (although there is nothing wrong with that). We're taking well thought out, home-made food or cheese and charcuterie that is beautifully presented with all the extreme picnicking accouterments that make those other picnic goers envious of your group.

After attending a concert at Ravinia (outside Chicago) almost 20 years ago, we became inspired by the beautiful picnic spreads and how people really got into it. (http://www.chicagobusiness.com/article/2012... (http://www.chicagobusiness.com/article/20120714/ISSUE03/307149982/the-elite-picnic-scene-at-ravinia)). The beautiful press for Dinner en Blanc ( http://dinerenblanc.info/ ), a flash mob picnic all in white, will take your breath away. The influences of these events, plus some Extreme Picnicking we used to take to our beach camping trips in California are the fuel behind Extreme Picnicking.

This is a group for people who love the art of the picnic. It's about coming together outdoors and enjoying your surroundings, be it a symphony at sunset, a beautiful park setting, or just one of the best places to have a picnic in the greater Austin area. Some of the people in this group have been meeting over the 12 weeks of the summer symphony at the Long Center by word of mouth and extended friends. But this is Austin, we can have picnics in December if we want.

We decided to start our own meetup of extreme picnickers. The plan is to meet regularly, in different locations between Fall and Spring, and then meet weekly during the Hartman Foundation Summer Concert series at the Long Center. If you have a fabulous location you would like to share, you can sign up to host one of the picnics.

WHAT TO BRING:

• A bottle of wine (or beverage of your choice), a non-breakable cup/glass to drink it out of, and something to keep it cold.

• A blanket and or chair to sit on

• A homemade picnic-y dish to share including serving dish(es) and utensil(s): (In order to avoid duplicate food items, PLEASE LOG WHAT DISH YOU ARE BRINGING in the meetup event comments or Google Doc associated with each event/

• Keepin' it Green – While we will have a few disposable plates, napkins, and utensils – we encourage you to bring your own to minimize cost and waste.

• Leftovers - Some folks may be willing to share their leftover food. Please ask them first and make sure you bring appropriate containers, foil or food bags to bring home leftovers.

Just a note on common courtesy: When you leave, please make sure you bring your serving dishes, leftover food, large trash and recycling with you. We will have one large kitchen trash bag, but cannot manage large items and recycling of cans/bottles.

Because this is about the art of the picnic - PRIZES ARE AWARDED for the best savory dish, best dessert, and presentation at each event: While this is not a cooking group, we are into EXTREME PICNICKING and aesthetics. We encourage home-made picnic fare. If you cannot make something, the quality of what you bring and presentation is everything (hint – put that store-bought hummus in your own dish, slice up those brownies or lemon bars from Central Market and serve them on a plate, make sure those crackers or chips are in a basket or a bowl).

The tablespace is limited, so please avoid large trays. There should be nothing larger than a Pyrex casserole dish.

With the exception of the Hartman Foundation summer concert series, which are well-behaved dog and kid friendly, unless otherwise noted in any event, you must be 21 or older to attend.

While there is no membership fee, donations are accepted to defray the expenses incurred by this group - meetup fees and the cost of plates, napkins, utensils, other picnic items, and prizes. Please do not make donations through meetup as we will not receive those. They want a SSN to set it up and we are not willing to give them that much personal information. If you wish to make a donation, please do so at any event you attend.

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Beginning June 2018, new members must have a real name (First name with or without last initial/name is fine) and a clearly identifiable photo of themselves on their profile. Members who have been inactive for 12 months may be removed from the group at the organizer's discretion.