Sep
16

The 18th Annual Smithsonian Staff Picnic–Autumn Edition

The Smithsonian Community Committee is pleased to announce that the 18th annual Staff Picnic on the Mall will break tradition and not take place on the hottest day of the year. Long a test of the heat resistance and hydration strategies of SI staff, fellows, interns, contractors, and volunteers, this year’s picnic will take place in October. All are invited to enjoy the festivities, which will include free food, entertainment, stories, presentations, and other mildly exciting activities!

Gentlemen in formal dress at a picnic

Smithsonian staff at a previous picnic.

When

Thursday, October 10, 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.

Where

Arts and Industries Building, Hirshhorn Plaza, and Enid Haupt Garden

Entertainment and Activities

Victorian ladies playing tennis

A vigorous game of lawn tennis whets the appetite.

  • Enjoy musical performances, colleagues and others with Smithsonian roots.
  • Sit in on all the collegial conversation while enjoying your lunch at the Smithsonian Stories narrative session.
  • Become a daytime astronomer by looking through NASM’s solar-filled telescopes.
  • Dance off your meal with music provided by a local DJ.
  • Explore the Institution’s gardens and get your Carrot Man selfie.
  • Reconnect with retired colleagues and get information at the Smithsonian Alumni Program station.
  • Visit a selection of your favorite Smithsonian Affinity groups.
  • Don’t forget your SI badge for a free ride on the Smithsonian’s Carousel
  • And, of course, the highlight of the day, the….

First-ever Smithsonian Cornhole Tournament

The Smithsonian Community Committee has been cooking up some fun activities for this year’s picnic­­­­—including the first ever Smithsonian-wide Cornhole tournament! Whether you call it Cornhole or Indiana Horseshoes or Bag Toss, join us for this hilarious beanbag frenzy of foul shots that supposedly originated in 14th-century Germany. (Didn’t know that, did you? We just can’t help diffusing knowledge.)

Experts and novices, full teams and free agents alike, are encouraged to participate. Registration and game rules can be found here.

Questions? Please contact the NMAH Community Committee at NMAHComCom@si.edu

Food

picnickers sleeping and lounging on the grass

Pace yourself and don’t overdo it!

Lunch will be provided by Mission Barbeque. A complete menu will be posted on the Smithsonian Community Committee’s Picnic website prior to the event.

Advance reservations for meal tickets are required. Reserve your free meal tickets by notifying your unit’s designated contact person by Friday, September 20th.

Meal Tickets

  • Only one ticket will be issued per person..
  • Tickets must be reserved in advance; they will NOT be distributed on the day of the picnic.
  • Your unit’s director will let you know who your meal ticket contact person is via email or other unit-specific methods of communication. Other meal ticket-related questions should be directed to Laichelle Torney-Reid (202) 633-5175.
  • Volunteers should make their ticket reservations through the picnic contact in their unit. Volunteers who are floaters or are assigned to the Castle should reserve via the OVS picnic contact person.

Volunteer

The picnic can’t happen without staff volunteers! Join your colleagues in helping set up and take down picnic equipment, serve as talent wranglers, and help with  Green Team recycling and clean-up activities. If you want to join the Picnic Team as a volunteer, please email your name and phone number to Picnic@si.edu.

Pictures, please!

Whether you’re carousing on the carousel, on a mission for barbecue, or simply sitting in the shade and enjoying some fine company, take a picture! Send your selfies and glamour shots, video your dance moves and Cornhole triumphs or just pose with an old friend. You’ll be immortalized forever in the annals of the Torch. Send your photos and videos (with caption information) to Torch@si.edu.

Joseph Henry, first Secretary of the Smithsonian Institution (1846-1878), and his wife, Harriet Alexander Henry, and their daughters Caroline, Helen Louisa and Mary Anna, who are holding croquet mallets, seated on the grounds of the Smithsonian Institution Building. (Photo by Titian Ramsey Peale, 1865)

Joseph Henry, first Secretary of the Smithsonian Institution (1846-1878), and his wife, Harriet Alexander Henry, and their daughters Caroline, Helen Louisa and Mary Anna, who are holding croquet mallets, seated on the grounds of the Smithsonian Institution Building. (Photo by Titian Ramsey Peale, 1865)

Still have questions?

All other picnic questions can be directed to Charlie Weber, Picnic Chair at (202) 633-6441, Holly Williamson Co-Picnic Chair at (202) 633-2373, or via email at Picnic@si.edu.

See you in October in the AIB, Hirshhorn Plaza and Enid Haupt Garden. Stay tuned for further announcements on programming and schedules.

Related posts:

Romantic painting of picnickers andBring the whole family–and don’t forget the uncles and ants Cropped version of painting The Picnic by Thomas ColeThe 2018 Smithsonian Staff Picnic picnickers sleeping and lounging on the grass(UPDATE) The 2022 Staff Picnic is ON for Oct. 6 stock image 50th anniversaryOVS celebrates 50 years of service

Posted: 16 September 2019
About the Author:

Alex di Giovanni is primarily responsible for "other duties as assigned" in the Office of Communications and External Affairs. She has been with the Smithsonian since 2006 and plans to be interred in the Smithson crypt.