Community Picnic made for a HUGE success

   A HUGE round of applause goes out to the United Church of Monticello, the Jones County Beef Producers, and the numerous volunteers who made the Community Picnic on Aug. 18 a HUGE success!

   The event was completely free to those who showed up for a delicious meal, thanks to the many businesses, people, and organizations that donated toward the picnic.

   They served close to 650 people!

   And, with definite rain chances predicted for Friday evening and throughout the day on Saturday, Thursday evening could not have been more ideal weather-wise.

   Families making their way to and from the school open houses stopped by for supper. Working people swung by before heading home after the workday. Older folks came by the picnic to enjoy a good meal and conversation. The Community Picnic brought everyone out for a good time as the summer comes to an end.

   With so much going on in the Monticello community throughout the summer, and especially these last couple of weeks before the start of school, it was refreshing to see people sit, relax, and just be together rather than the hustle and bustle.

   If the thought hasn’t been proposed, I could certainly see this event being an annual end-of-summer community gathering. The lawn next to the United Church is the perfect setting to enjoy a picnic meal, sit in your lawn chair, and gather with neighbors or people you haven’t seen in a while or other folks in the community. (K.N.B.)