Summer Picnic becomes Autumn Picnic

Once again Picnic in the Park has fallen victim to inclement weather conditions. What a Summer! We had hoped against hope that the rain clouds forecast to blow up from the south would stay out on the Irish Sea. So much for putting out the Child of Prague! I supposed we should have taken more heed of the fact that the Corporation lads had not been up to the park to mow the grass in over two weeks. Boggy ground is why. Much of the grass areas have turned to swamp. If the event had gone ahead we would have ended up with our own mini (and mucky) Glastonbury!
Picnic in the Park will not now happen until September. When? Well, let's see now. It cannot be next Sunday (Aug 26) because that is Walled Towns Day and half of Wexford will be down around the Arts Centre engaging in sword fighting, long bow target practise and shield making, and eating spit-roast suckling pig. That same day Well's House in Ballyedmond hosts a Mad Hatter's Tea Party with giant chess and checkers, puppets, archery, birds of prey and story-telling. It cannot be the Sunday after that (September 2) because I want to go to a picnic on a much grander scale in Stradbally to see what all the fuss is about. One must also consider Spraoi Sráide on the Saturday of that weekend. This will be bringing a real carnival atmosphere to Wexford Town's eclectic and alternative south end. We could possibly do it on the next Sunday (Sept 9) but I am not absolutely sure we should be going up against the All-Ireland Hurling Final. Besides the Carnsore Summer School is on that same weekend and, being an environmentally conscious (self-conscious?) type, I really want to be there to smoke the peace pipe and dance naked under the wind turbines at the place where Ireland might have had it's first nuclear power station. Our Picnic cannot happen the Sunday following this (Sept 16) as the Wexford girls will be travelling to Croke Park to do battle against Cork in the All-Ireland Senior Camogie Final. That is also Blackstairs Blues Festival weekend and they always have great music sessions on Sunday afternoon. That brings us to Sun, Sept 23 - All-Ireland Football Final day. Summer is but a blurry image in the rear-view mirror, the Opera Festival is just around the bend and if we keep this up it will soon be Christmas. So, hey let's do it on Sun, Sept 23. Weather permitting of course (we should be well into our Indian Summer at that stage). We will start a little earlier (12 noon) and finish a little earlier (3pm) to ensure all sports fans can get home to watch the game (3.30pm throw-in). "The best laid plans of mice and men .."!