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dr.com 2nd Annual Fall Picnic


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We have reserved a picnic site at Fort Hunt Park for the second annual Fall picnic. The date is Sunday, October 15 and all are welcome to attend. The rain date will be the following Sunday, the 22nd, at Belle Haven Park.

Here is a link to a bunch of pictures of last Spring's picnic at the same venue.

Threads from the last three picnics are here, here and here.

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We have reserved a picnic site at Fort Hunt Park for the second annual Fall picnic. The date is Sunday, October 15 and all are welcome to attend. The rain date will be the following Sunday, the 22nd, at Belle Haven Park.

Great news, Jacques! Thanks for setting it up. I can hardly wait.

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Same time, same place, and hopefully same great weather. Stay tuned for more details. Oink oink, wink wink.
I have my kids that weekend. Everyone with kids (Dan, Heather, Scott etc, I know there are others with young kids) please let me know if you are bringing kids.

Thanks.

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With less than a month to go before the picnic, it's time to get crankin'! Did you save the date? October 15, noon to 6:00pm at Fort Hunt Park, south of Old Town Alexandria.

And in our grand tradition of group gluttony, Porcupine has graciously volunteered to coordinate a chili tasting for all of us. What could be better for a mid-October afternoon?! You'll be hearing more from her about this in a separate thread, but get ready by pulling out those favorite recipes and starting to test them!

Also, for the mandatory pig product contribution, and not content to bring some pork belly casserole, or a ham, AGM this time wanted to present us with a full-on pig roast. Woo-hoo! This is most the exciting thing to happen at a dr.com picnic since, well maybe since the KeithB's ventworm cake! But wait. There's more! Team AGM shall not be alone. Team JG will also be doffing aprons and vying for top pig honors. That's right - a snout-to-snout Piggie Smackdown! Each team will assemble their roasters, concoct their own secret marinades and rubs and head off into their respective corners to smother those piggies in hot coals. I've heard rumors that there may even be some professional chef-consultants involved, but we'll have to wait to hear more about that from the teams. We, the picnic attendees, will be in the enviable position of judging the results of both roast pigs.

Everyone who is not bringing chili or a whole roasting pig, is encouraged to bring something of quality - appropriate to eat and/or drink with all this marvelous chili and pork. For some, that hopefully will mean something that contains no animal products whatsoever, or at least no pork (i.e. vegan and vegetarian offerings will be most welcome and appreciated.) If you don't much care for spending time in the kitchen, consider heading to your favorite food store, deli, liquor store, bakery or restaurant and sharing something utterly scrumptious from there. We have quite a good supply of paper goods this time - but once we inventory it, there may be some supplemental needs there too.

For this picnic we are very fortunate to have some great help: Zoramargolis will be keeping track of who is coming and what they are bringing. So look for her posts to see if there's anything in particular that we need in the food/beverage/games/supplies department. Goldenticket has offered to help coordinate carpooling for those who need or want rides to the park. She will also be making pre-printed labels for all the food that people have told us they are bringing. There will be a place set aside to get your label to stick on your contribution before it gets put out for devouring.

This time, mktye and hillvalley are taking some well-deserved time off for good behavior! Needless to say, this picnic would not be happening without all the hard work they put into the last three picnics and all the details they were able to work out to make this one's planning go smoother. I hope they both come and put their feet up and just relax!

As we did last year, there will be a $1 donation jar to help defray the cost of the site rental. This time we will also use it to help with the cost of the pig roasts. All donations are purely voluntary, but gratefully accepted.

So...who's coming?

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mktye has set an extraordinarily high standard for communication and organization, but I will do me best.

So, please indicate, either in an online post or in a PM to me, that you are coming, and how many people you are bringing (eg. +1, +2, or however many).

Then, indicate what you are bringing that is NOT for the chili cook-off or pig roast. If it is not obvious, let me know under which of the following categories your contribution will fit, and if it is vegetarian or vegan:

Appetizers, snacks, finger food

Sides/Salads

Main course

Desserts/sweets

Beverages

Misc.

I will periodically list a running tally, so you can see what other people have already committed to bringing.

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I'm sorry I'll have to miss this swine soiree. I'll be at FedEx field watching the Redskins suffer at the hands of Vince Young and the Tennessee Titans (I know, not a great match up, but there'll be lots of alcohol at my disposal that day with a designated driver).

Have a great time!!!

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I'm getting married that day. Do you guys cater?
Another board I post on has a special thread dedicated to the best member quotes. If there were such a thread here, I would nominate this :) .

I believe my husband and I will be there. I don't know that my turkey chili is up to chili cookoff standards, so I'm mulling over food possibilities. I'll bring a noodle-cheese casserole (vegetarian, not vegan), whether I do chili or not.

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Yet again the DR picnic is scheduled to conflict with my Sunday soccer league :) I'll be arriving very late, like 4pm, and guess I'll bring a reserve quantity of beer...save some pig for me to pick at.

Dude - home DC United game (season finale!) that day at 5pm. You sure you're coming to the picnic?

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I'm sorry I'll have to miss this swine soiree. I'll be at FedEx field watching the Redskins suffer at the hands of Vince Young and the Tennessee Titans (I know, not a great match up, but there'll be lots of alcohol at my disposal that day with a designated driver).

Have a great time!!!

Yeah, this is 2 years in a row the fall picnic's scheduled against a home game, so we can't make it either.
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Dude - home DC United game (season finale!) that day at 5pm. You sure you're coming to the picnic?

crap, guess I'm not going to the picnic then...I hate these DCU Sunday games, all DCU games should be played on Saturday or Wednesday nights, kick off at 7:30.

Still save me some pig for pickin :)

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Dame Edna and I will be there. I'm going to volunteer Dame Edna to make zucchini. He's tweaked it since making it for the eGullet Chicken Cook-off and I think you all will like it and it should go nicely with the piggies.

As for me: I'm open to suggestions. Cheesecake, anyone?

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Goldenticket has offered to help coordinate carpooling for those who need or want rides to the park. She will also be making pre-printed labels for all the food that people have told us they are bringing. There will be a place set aside to get your label to stick on your contribution before it gets put out for devouring.

This time, mktye and hillvalley are taking some well-deserved time off for good behavior! Needless to say, this picnic would not be happening without all the hard work they put into the last three picnics and all the details they were able to work out to make this one's planning go smoother. I hope they both come and put their feet up and just relax!

If you will need a ride or would like to offer a ride to the picnic, please send me a PM and let me know the details (where you can pick up/be picked up from, how many spaces offered/needed, etc). I will put folks in touch as 'matches' are made.*

I'd also like to echo Crackers' thanks to hillvalley and mktye! Hillvalley does an awful lot for us, most of it behind the scenes. And it goes on all year round, not just at picnic time - all that organizing of dinners, events, membership, etc. takes a lot of time! And mktye has sure put it in her time coordinating most aspects of the last two picnics (and probably at others too, before I was around ) So, THANKS!! to both of you - sit back and relax and enjoy the picnic. :)

* I will be away Sept 21-30, and don't plan to be spending much time online. Expect to hear something from me after Oct. 1, and probably early the week of the picnic if you've asked for/offered a ride. Thanks!

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I will be there (single this year, no kids). I am challenging StephenB's reign as the eggman, I will bring my never will be famous curried deviled eggs. Now I am not sure if this counts....but I really want to bring a pot of collard greens to have with all that pork! So add that as well.

Edit:

My collards will be fixed with some leftover smoked turkey parts, generally I use pork, but am happy to slightly change the recipe in the interest of porkfest 06

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WOW—roast pig and chili cook-off--I’m there!

A well-deserved break for hillvalley and mktye! Thanks crackers, Jacques Gastreaux, zoramargolis, Porcupine, goldenticket, agm and all for planning this!

It’s wonderful to be a part of this community! This will be a perfect occasion to catch up with old and new members again! Hmmm…need to plan what to bring…corn bread…hmmm?

How was your summer? :)

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Now I am not sure if this counts....but I really want to bring a pot of collard greens to have with all that pork! So add that as well.

Hell yea! You could put the pot on the grill and simmer while the pork is finishing. You make them with or without hocks?

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I'm getting married that day.

What has that got to do with it? Can't you do both?

I will be there (single this year, no kids). I am challenging StevenB's reign as the eggman, I will bring my never will be famous curried deviled eggs. Now I am not sure if this counts....but I really want to bring a pot of collard greens to have with all that pork! So add that as well.

You'll never beat me, Scottie, until you learn how to spell my name.

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I will be there (single this year, no kids). I am challenging StevenB's reign as the eggman, I will bring my never will be famous curried deviled eggs. Now I am not sure if this counts....but I really want to bring a pot of collard greens to have with all that pork! So add that as well.
Scott makes killer collards if my memory serves from the eG Chicken Cook-Off. Yay!
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We hope that we will meet lots of new dr.com members at the picnic - it is a great way to put many screen names to faces, and it's how most people on the board met each other for the first time (myself included - I arrived at the spring picnic last year not knowing a soul - and now look what they've done to me!)

For dr.com picnic newbies, I am re-posting, with a few updates, a list of helpful hints that mktye put together for the last picnic. I hope you will find it useful, but feel free to ask any questions you might have if something isn't clear or not addressed. Sometimes it's easy to overlook the obvious. So here goes:

DO come to the picnic even if you don't cook. Goodies picked up from your favorite bakery/cheese shop/restaurant/wine shop are perfectly fine. An appetite for delicious food and drink is all that is required.

DON’T think you have to make something fancy if you are cooking. Keep in mind that your dish may need to sit out at room temperature for at least an hour or two and that it will be eaten in a picnic setting.

DO consider other non-food options if you don’t want to cook anything. One member brought a soccer set to the last picnic and it was a big hit with the kids. Beverages (adult and otherwise) are also greatly appreciated.

DON’T make tons and tons of food. Ten to twelve servings is plenty. Really. There will be a lot of fabulous food to taste and most everyone will only want a bite or two of any one item.

DO try to remember to bring appropriate prep and serving utensils for whatever food you bring.

DON’T feel you need to present your food in your best crystal, silver and/or china. In fact, if you don't plan on staying all afternoon, disposable serving containers are preferable.

DO put your name on any items you are concerned might get lost or left behind (a piece of masking tape with your name written on it with waterproof ink works great for this).

DON’T worry about having to cook dinner that night or possibly even the next day – Think about bringing baggies/plastic wrap for those who want to take home leftovers.

DO show up on time if you want to partake in some of the more popular food/drink items -- such as the chili tasting and the jello molds.

DON’T even think about not showing up just because you are running late. Come anyway. I suspect we’ll be there until they kick us out of the park.

DO bring your families. Children of all ages are very welcome.

DON’T bring your pets. We have hearty appetites and hot grills and we'd hate to make a drunken mistake.

DO come even if your dog ate your lovingly prepared dish in a fit of vengeance because it could not attend the picnic and you have to make a last minute change to what you said you’d be bringing.

DON’T eat a large breakfast beforehand. Once again, there will be a lot of food.

DO refrain from posting any photographs from the picnic on the internet that include a person's face, unless that person has given you permission, in advance, to post it. This is a private event and we value and respect everybody's privacy.

DON'T worry, be happy! :)

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I'm getting married that day. Do you guys cater?

Dude,

You say that as if it would prevent you from attending! It's simple: Have everyone in your wedding party join DR.com, and make the picnic your reception. No worries!

Also, weddings are held on Saturdays in June. Or Maybe September. And on seemingly "romantic" holidays, such as Halloween (well, in my world). None of that applies to the date of the picnic, so clearly you've gotten the date of your wedding confused.

In any case, congratulations and good luck. Sorry you can't make the picnic!

I'm going to try very hard to attend this one. I'd like to bring a green bean salad with pecans and blue cheese. Not vegan, but lacto-ovo vegetarian friendly. (This is not the green bean salad I made last year, which had Smithfield ham and peanuts.)

Any chance of nametags with screen names? I had a crazy hard time last year figuring out who was who and remembering the ones I did figure out.

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1. Cellar Cull is still on! Bring your strange bottles, your is-it-or-isn't-it-still-rocking bottles, you man-I-forgot-what-this-tastes-like bottles.

1A. People, people, people. For one day in your life, please be a little less polite. If a wine you pour from the Cellar Cull table sucks, pour it out! If it's corked, pour it out! There'll be plenty of wine (I'll probably bring a case, plus what's left from the box I tried to cull at JPW's one night). Cellar Cull is not (completely) about forcing obscure, out-of-date swill down the gullets of unsuspecting newbies. It's about seeing what sticks and what doesn't, what Rocks your world or what whirls your Rocks. (Speaking of which, a few contributions from the Founder's stellar cellar might be....interesting.... :) )

2. Do people want me to bring a ham again?

3. Ostensibly, liquor is forbidden at the site. Allow me to just observe that last year, there were no park rangers sniffing grain or grape juices to determine whether or not they had been boiled for a bit.

4. By all means, do come. Do butt into coffeeklatches. Do throw frisbies. And then resolve to come to some happy hours too!

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There'll be plenty of wine (I'll probably bring a case, plus what's left from the box I tried to cull at JPW's one night).
There are two rieslings in my fridge with the picnic's name on them and about 4 bottles of red in my "wine cellar" (which will probably be less the bottle of Hartenburg Shiraz that I've been eyeing)

There'll be a few more whites from me and probably a red or two that I've been eyeing.

PS - If I ever find out who brought the plastic corked swill bubbly (Cook's maybe?) last time that was not only flat, but also smelled like a dead racoon, they will be pelted mercilessly with corks and forced to wear the ventworm nut cap of shame.

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My wife and I will be there. It'll be my first DR event. Take it easy on the newbie!

I'll definitely bring a pot of chili and maybe grill up some skirt steak to make my wife's favorite steak salad. And, of course, some good Canadian beer.

How late do these events generally go? I've got tix to something at the 930 but that shouldn't start before...err...930.

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Are we keeping the dishes to a 'pig roast' theme?
Nope. Bring whatever you want. Besides, what doesn't taste good with pig?
Any chance of nametags with screen names? I had a crazy hard time last year figuring out who was who and remembering the ones I did figure out.
There will again be a pile of blank nametags. They will be in the same spot as you will find the pre-printed food labels to put on your contributions, as well as the donation jar. Fill the nametag in anyway you want to - screen name, real name, both, or write down "Hi! I'm DonRockwell" and watch what happens.
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