Ready for the 170th Redford Picnic, Aug. 17

REDFORD | The Redford Picnic To-Do list, or T-List as it's called, has reached items marked 1, the last to do. Picnic organizers and a host of volunteer hands have game booth signs out and the calliope assembled. Over 500 pies are baked and stacked in two freezers, one for each game wheel of chance. The Skilo machine is set up and food stand windows are open. Ingredients for roast beef and ham dinners are ready. The merry-go-round is timed and tested. The "Fifteenth of Redford" on Aug. 17 will gather old friends and family, new neighbors and old acquaintances for the 170th annual Church of the Assumption community picnic The event draws thousands to church lawns and the parish school building for a summer social with handcrafted games, and Fancy Booth, craft vendors, a church supper and live music. The Redford Picnic marks a major milestone this year. It's been a century -- 100 years -- since the merry-go-round was first used at the summer social. The historic Armitage-Herschell hand-carved horses and sleighs run on the original 1895 track, meticulously kept and maintained for this one day each year (plus a preview for local youth the night before.) A few weeks out, Vickie Liberty Brown had five volunteer cooks in the Assumption of Mary school kitchen. Rolling dough and filling crusts, they made and baked 76 pies before noon. "My grandmother taught me to make pies," Vickie mused. "She had a restaurant for a while, on Route 3 in Black Brook." That was Vina Liberty. Dawn Hamel Manley and Veronica Marin rolled and filled the pastry, recalling earlier picnics and school days. They look forward to these summer visits with lifelong friends. Dawn comes up from the Capitol region to help out and was in the first First Grade class when the Assumption of Mary school opened. "I met my husband at the Redford Picnic," she said. Vickie's daughter Amanda Lutzy, veterinarian and owner of Saranac Veterinary Clinic, came in with husband Albert Clark, who owns Brookside Steel in Saranac. They met at the Redford Picnic. Their three-year-old son Ferris eyed the pies and said he is ready for a merry-go-round ride. Brookside Steel is contributing bouncy houses, new to the fun this year, and Amanda's veterinary practice helps support calliope players. The calliope was donated to the parish to accompany the merry-go-round in 1997 by the Haley sisters, from Riverview, Marion Agrelius and Ruth Slobody, daughters of John E. and Esther Hanlon Haley. The smell of baking pies took over the kitchen. "Right now we have 18 going in the oven," Ferris's grandmother said of the next batch. Once they're out, they'll be set to cool on a long table by the school's entrance. The church is just down the hill. "Then my husband comes and puts them in bags for the freezer," Vickie said. It's an efficient process all around. The event has evolved in 170 years, and a 30-day countdown is measured these days on the T-List. Septuagenarian Linda Coryer comes north to help a well-ordered list keep moving. Her 20+ years helping out has family ties, too, to Clem and Jean Coryer. Redford Picnic game parts and handmade signs are stored carefully in a former school classroom, now called simply "Linda's Room." "We gather the prizes and booth materials," she said, holding the list fast approaching tasks numbered 1, for one day out. "I'm only in charge of this room," she quipped. Putting together a community event like the Redford Picnic is a parish-wide, generations-wide endeavor. Some local families have five generations of living history involved. A unique sense of tradition draws people home to pitch in and help out. "It's a lifetime commitment," Linda laughed. Ed Liberty Jr. nods. His contribution carries on from his father Ed Liberty Sr., who kept merry-go-round mechanisms and gears in good working order. He opened up the barn a few weeks in advance and tested the equipment for squeaky wheels and bearings and such. His wife Tricia helps check the seats and saddles and shines them up for riders. The Redford Picnic is a primary fundraiser for the Church of the Assumption. The social celebration was founded when the parish dedicated its new church on the Feast of the Assumption, Aug. 15, 1855. A center of faith, education and social connection, the church knit community together from nearby Hamlets: Redford, Saranac, Strackville, Clayburg and Riverview. In the early years, there was fierce competition to see which locale would serve the most suppers. Funds from the Redford Picnic go back into community toward many programs, including a very active pickleball league and youth sports team that play in the school's gymnasium. The gym and classrooms are kept spotless for local teams and civic club meetings, and use is no cost other than donation. For Ed, parish lawns, the school and the busywork for the Fifteenth of Redford goes beyond a celebration that has sustained 170 years. It's about faith in community, he said. The Redford Picnic at the Church of the Assumption school lawns opens August 17 at 11:30 a.m. with games, Skrilo, booths, craft and art vendors, food stands and live music planned all day. The roast beef or ham dinner is served in the school cafeteria, 168 Church Street in Redford. Fun is on the schedule for all ages. A raffle drawing at 6:30 p.m. has a $5,000 prize. Taking a chance to win a Redford Picnic pie is priceless.

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Ready for the 170th Redford Picnic, Aug. 17

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