Picnic in the Point, a perfect afternoon for kids and parents
on October 21, 2014
Two barefoot boys sprint through a small clearing in between tents, lawn chairs, and haystacks. One with a squirt gun laughs manically as he chases the hapless other boy, who is very much defenseless.
Point Richmond’s fifth annual Picnic in the Point is one of the days you took for granted, the sunny days outside we don’t have time for anymore: face painting, carnival and lawn games, a bounce house, a dunk tank, arts and crafts, costume contests, and probably too much candy. There were also tacos, barbeque, ice cream, five live bands, and, for the adults, beer and special “picnic lemonade.”
Throughout the afternoon Saturday, more than 500 people, mostly families, moved in and out of Judge G. Carroll Park. Also called Fall Fest, the six-hour fundraising event attracts a mixed bunch from all over the East Bay, said David Schoenthal, president of the Point Richmond Business Association, one of the event’s many sponsors and organizers.
“At its core, today is about building a beautiful place to be by bringing in everybody from all around,” Schoenthal said. “Not just Point Richmond—Richmond—is a beautiful place to live.”
Sixty volunteers came together to set up and host the event, which usually raises about $6,000 from food and game tickets (estimated at closer to $11,000 this year) for the Washington Elementary Parent Teachers Association and Parent Resources and More (PRAM), both child wellness organizations based in Point Richmond.
The sponsorship gamut also brought together some political rivals and organizations that haven’t exactly seen eye to eye. Chevron had a tent across from Tom Butt’s table. “It’s a nice, easy-going moment of reprieve,” Schoenthal said.
Not so much the case for the kids with squirt guns.
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What about the music?? We had amazing music throughout the whole day. So much great local talent from country music to funk and so much in between. This is my family’s 2nd year in row, we enjoyed it last year but we all felt it was even better this year.