The 2012 Annual Member picnic was held on Saturday afternoon at Ashem, and was a tremendous success. More than 350 members attended, enjoying a glorious day of sunshine, oysters, local food and BBQ.
Members began arriving a little before noon to drive through the opened gates of Ashem for a truly memorable day. Young and “young at heart” enjoyed exploring the bridal trail, shucking oysters under the Oak Tree, and enjoying BBQ and local collards and rice in the pecan grove. Most members had never been to Ashem before, although many of our grandparents nostalgically recalled their experiences of learning to ride horses from Mrs. Emily Farrow decades ago! One of these Ashem equestriennes was Helen Warren who brought her ponies to the picnic and provided rides to the children. Doug Sass drove the hay wagon tractor, and PRC naturalist Keith McCullough led nature walks. In the background, Luke Cunningham sang and played the guitar throughout the day. As icing on the cake, we were blessed with abundant sunshine, a cool breeze and newly blooming azaleas.
The theme of this year’s picnic was “Local Food” and the connection to our conservation properties. We enjoyed delicious pecans grown on Plum Hill Plantation and Charleston Gold rice cultivated on Lavington Plantation — both from properties conserved by the Land Trust in the ACE Basin! Other local products showcased were collards and oysters — scrumptious! Special thanks to GrowFood Carolina for sourcing the collards and centerpieces and to Tidewater Catering for cooking everything to perfection!
After eating, the Charleston Green Fair provided instruction and education on how to handle waste. Food Waste Disposal, who works with Green Fair, reported back that we had 60 pounds of compostable/food waste and 140 pounds of commingled recyclables.
Charleston County Parks and Recreation (PRC), Grow Food Carolina, Lowcountry Local First and Charleston Green Fair all had tables to educate our guests on the important work they do. Our generous volunteer, Thomas Moorer, provided the photography. They were all great partners for this event!
The fun continued and the pictures tell the story! Pretty good work for a day of fun in the sun!
Thank you to PRC for preparing Ashem for the event and hosting the Land Trust. And a big thank you to all of sponsors: Van-Smith Concrete, WebsterRogers, Maybank Law Firm, Tidewater Catering, Hughes Rental, Holcombe, Fair and Lane, Charleston Appraisal Service and The Bank of South Carolina. We could not have done it without you!
And most important, thank you to Mrs. Farrow for understanding the value of her land far beyond herself. Nearly 350 people and 4 generations enjoyed a magical day that would not have been possible without her vision and love of her land.
To see Thomas’ pictures from the picnic, click HERE!
Thanks to all who came!
Elizabeth M. Hagood
