The Ocala banner. (Ocala, Marion County, Fla.) 1883-194?, 1917-09-14
THE PICNIC AT "cooTER POND
A BIG GATHERING.

have got something coming to them.
On the margin of the pond is the
most beautiful picnic grounds that
we have yet seen in the state of Flor
ida and we have seen quite num-
Der.
live oaks being especially of gigan-
tic size and there are a number of
them.
"They like sentinels stand,
To guard enchanted land"
The whole landscape presents a
realistic picture of nature unadorned
Just as it sprung from the hands of
the great Creator with no attempts
on the part of man to give coloring
or change anywhere or shapeliness to
any thing.
1t is lovely, well shaded spot, and
as the chairman said such spot as
to throw a spell over lovers.
We left OcaIa at o'clock and
reached the grounds before half past
ten. Found the road bad in spots but
much better than many of the roads
in the county.
We passed only a few houses but
when we got on the grounds we were
confronted with more people than we
thought lived in Levy county. We
soon discovered that Marion county
had contributed her full quota.
There were representatives from
Pennington, Irvine, Fairfield, Ema-
theta, Old Town, Lowell Reddick,
Fellowship, Blitchton and other
places.
1t was a fine gathering of people,
too. The fairer portion of the audi
ence were gowned in the latest fab
RIGS and most up-to-date and becom-
ing styles and we observed more au-
tomobiles than carts or wagons.
The table was almost as long as
the full length of the Ocala House
and the tempting substantials and
sweets that it contained told that Mr..
Hoover's warning for food conserva-
ton has not yet been put into prac-
tice in that section, or if it has there
are exceptions to all rules and a
Scooter Pond" picnic is one of the
big exceptions.
1t was a fine dinner. 1t was our
good fortune to fall into the hands
of Mr. and Mrs. James HI. Badger and
Mr.. and Mrs. w. o. Brewer, and they
proved to be mind readers and knew
by intuition the very things we liked
best.
In fact we were made the honor
guest and were not only provided
with a plate, knife and fork, but was
also provided with a comfortable
chair-no one else was so honored.
We shall always rememger "Cooter
Pond" with pleasant "reminiscences.
We are not writing these note as
they were mapped off on. the pro-
gramme for the speech-making oc-
cupied the front page" so to speak.
Mr.. W. o. Brewer acted as master
of ceremonies and performed these
exacting duties in most pleasing
and satisfactory manner for he even
kept the children in good humor.
Rev. Waldron, who is conducting a
missionary Baptist meeting at Nor
riston, invoked the divine blessing.
The shade and surroundings were
so impelling, that he rendered crate
full thanks for the big trees, the soft
and cooling breezes, the finry tribe
and other things with which we Flor
idians are so abundantly blessed.
The chairman stated that politics
were not to be discussed on the
grounds or on the platform. That it
was a social picnic for a social. good
natured gathering and no chickering's
would be tolerated so any discussion
that would cause them were to be
eschewed.
The picnic was given under the
auspices of the Modern Wodmen of
the World" and an address on Mod
ern Woodcraft" or Modern Wood.
men," by Mr.. E. D. Boyer, deputy
head consul of Modern Woodmen of
America. of Mcintosh, was to have
been the first and principal speech,
but up to the hour for dinner he had
not arrived on the grounds.
The chairman paid high tribute
to this order in the absence of the
principal speaker and rendered its
motto from Lain into English. which
he said was: 1--WE live for others"
In the absence of Mr.. Boyer the
.rk Hon = LIGHT