Another intriguing reference in AtD: state picnics

[Michael Bailey]

“Never having felt like that he was a citizen of any state in particular,
Merle just tended to show up at any state picnic he happened to hear about…

<generous & rather mouth-watering description of the Iowa state picnic at
Sycamore Grove park>

…Lew found Merle discussing potato-salad recipes with a bunch of Iowans.”


State picnic?

https://ericbrightwell.com/2022/09/15/southland-parks-los-angeless-state-society-picnics/

“From the *1900s* through the *1970s*, large numbers of migrants to *Los
Angeles* gathered in themed picnics organized around their states of origin
known as State Society Picnics or just State Picnics …

“One *Iowa State Society Picnic* in *Long Beach
<https://ericbrightwell.com/tag/long-beach/>* attracted as many as 150,000
attendees — more people than the population of any city in *Iowa
<https://ericbrightwell.com/tag/iowa/>* at that time. As popular as they
once were, they seem to be all but forgotten today.”