Picnic provides particularly fun time

The community answered the call to come enjoy a great day at Friday’s fifth installment of the K1037 Radio community picnic, coming out in droves right outside the Kahnawake Sports Complex to enjoy the multitudes of activities and, of course, food.

It all could have come crashing down before it even started, though, with Friday morning starting off cold and rainy.

“It was really stressful waking up to rain, because this was our first year not having a rain day, so it was really all or nothing,” said K1037 radio host and picnic organizer Jeci Goodleaf.

She said that as the picnic partnered with the Kahnawake Youth Center (KYC) this year, June 20 was the only date that would make sense due to scheduling conflicts - particularly the training day for KYC summer camp staff.

But the rain cleared up during setup, and by the time the inclusion hour started at 11 a.m., it was smooth sailing for the rest of the day, getting warm enough for the splash pads and the water activity set up by the KYC, wacky hockey, to be well-occupied.

Many of the different organizations in town had their own booths to inform the community of what they have going on at the moment, with a lot of them opting to include games or prizes, which were popular with the kids and teens in attendance.

“I’m enjoying seeing the kids going to all the different orgs, because normally when you go to a fair and you see the orgs, the kids tend to run the other way,” said Goodleaf.

“But because we entice them with games, we’re getting them to visit each vendor. And I just think that’s so amazing, because we want all ages, all generations to be included.”

The Acoustic Group, Pat’s Pet Show, and Black Box Gaming also provided entertainment and activities for all.

And of course, it would not be a picnic without food, which was provided with meal tickets by John Owen’s Oasis, Messy Kitchen, Rezican Tacos, Berry-Licious Catering, and a Beaver Tails truck - the costs of which were covered by the sponsorship of the Mohawk Council of Kahnawake, Playground Cares, and Kahnawake Shakotiia’takehnhas Community Services.

Convenience stores in town pitched in too, providing drinks, and Rapids Distribution bringing a cooler full of ice cream, free of charge.

All the food available was popular, but the Beaver Tails were a particularly huge hit, with the longest line all through the day.

“It’s going to make me sound a little weird, but I really love the idea that I get to have Beaver Tails without leaving Kahnawake,” said picnic attendee Tiohawíhton Peterson, who described the sugary treat as something particularly nostalgic.

“My mom used to take me all the time for Beaver Tails. Whenever we would go to La Ronde or anything like that, it was my favourite thing to grab before I went home.”

The partnership between K1037 and the KYC, after the event had previously been organized with the Kanien’kehá:ka Onkwawén:na Raotitióhkwa Language and Cultural Center (KOR), came about following last year’s event.

“We talked about certain things that could be improved, kind of like a debrief after the event, and I told them last year that the KYC wouldn’t mind helping out,” said KYC’s community and family events coordinator Cheyanne McComber.

“I love partnering with different organizations in the community. I think it brings everyone together.”

Goodleaf said that while she enjoyed working with KOR, the KYC was a natural fit due to the event featuring a lot of activities geared towards kids, and because the Youth Center has the resources to put on these events that K1037 simply does not.

“We have a skeleton crew at our station. We have like nine people, and this is a big undertaking. We need feet on the ground to help us,” said Goodleaf.

In the end, the first year of the partnership was a big hit with the community.

“I love that I could just be with my family and my friends and see people I haven’t seen for a long time in this past year,” said Peterson.

“Everybody coming together to make it work, it’s just so beautiful,” said Goodleaf.

“We just can’t thank the community enough for everything that they’ve all done to pull this off, because without the community, we wouldn’t be able to do this.”

[email protected]