Wellen Park hosts second annual Great American Picnic

Wellen Park’s Great American Picnic recalls the nostalgia and traditions of an old-time country fair. The second annual Great American Picnic at Wellen Park Saturday, June 22. COURTESY PHOTO

Pie-baking and watermelon-eating contests, live music and kids’ carnival games. That’s how to celebrate summer during the second annual Great American Picnic at Wellen Park on Saturday, June 22.

The event, from 4 to 9 p.m. in Downtown Wellen, is free and open to the public.

The Great American Picnic recalls the nostalgia and traditions of an old-time country fair, with contests, carnival games, family-friendly activities and a foam party. And no picnic is complete without great food — available throughout Downtown Wellen in an array of restaurants, as well as casual grab-and-go eateries in The Yard, where Pop Dawgs serves up gourmet hotdogs and ballpark fare, Claw & Co. offers lobster rolls and New England-style cuisine, and Lakeside Bites has paninis and snacks.

The pie bakeoff and the Venice Print Center-sponsored watermelon-eating contest, both offering youth and adult categories, begin at 4 p.m. Both contests require pre-registration. To pre-register for the pie bake-off, see wellenpark.com/ events/great-american-picnic-2. Registration for the watermelon-eating contest will take place the day of the event, before the contest begins.

Whiskey County, a Nashville-style party band, will perform country and classic rock hits from 5 to 9 p.m. on Solis Hall’s outdoor stage facing the Great Lawn. The performance is sponsored by Lennar, a Wellen Park builder featured in three neighborhoods.

Guests are encouraged to bring lawn chairs, blankets and picnic baskets.

“The Great American Picnic is now Wellen Park tradition,” said Christine Masney, vice president of marketing for Wellen Park. “It attracts local and regional guests who love the low-key, fun-filled family vibe.”

Visitors can also take advantage of all Downtown Wellen has to offer — paddling and fishing in Grand Lake, hiking, biking and e-biking Wellen Park’s miles of trails and pathways, cooling off at the splash pad, relaxing or playing in nature-inspired settings, shopping and enjoying an augmented reality experience capturing downtown’s vibrant, playful spirit.

Downtown Wellen is the region’s newest social and gathering spot, offering restaurants, boutiques, beauty services, and medical and professional offices. The downtown’s thoughtfully designed spaces create unique outdoor experiences — from intimate parks, a natural playground and a living room shaded by a decades-old relocated live oak tree to larger gathering spaces like the Great Lawn for community festivals, markets, celebrations and events, and the lakefront fountain and splash pad. Solis Hall, an elegant rental venue, features an outdoor stage, a lakefront patio and an easy flow from inside spaces to neighboring alfresco areas.

The post Wellen Park hosts second annual Great American Picnic first appeared on Town Chronicle .