Elite Picnic Club: Where the Meal on the Lawn Is as Sublime As the Music
Let’s be honest. Who among us does not covertly (okay, overtly) gawk at the picnic provisions that unfold on the Tanglewood lawn? The table settings, lighting and elaborate feasts beg to be admired, if not envied. If you’ve been thinking that maybe it’s time to expand your usual repertoire of hummus, crackers and grapes, the Elite Picnic Club invites you to join in some fierce and fun picnic culture on the lawn.
Berkshire County residents Nancy Fontana and Anna Shippee founded the picnic group and have planned events at Tanglewood this summer that coincide with the Tanglewood Sunday Season and the Popular Artists series.
“We started the club because we wanted to include as many people as possible, and to encourage them to come picnic with us,” said Shippee, a Lenox resident. “There has been another picnic group of BSO people — mostly spouses of BSO musicians — but we wanted to do more throughout the Tanglewood season and beyond.”
The dates and themes are set; to illustrate, July 21 calls for a Southern Bell Picnic, and July 28 is Throwback to Childhood Favorites. Each time, there’s a competition for best dish and best décor, voted on by participants, with prizes that include things like… tickets to Tanglewood.
“We take our decorating seriously,” Shippee admitted. Tables, cloths, candelabras, silverware, glasses — everything to create an elegant dinner party on the lawn comes out of the carts and wagons. “I’m still cleaning up from the James Taylor picnic,” she said, which brought about 30 people to the club. “There’s a lot of wax to scrape off the tablecloth.”
The events are, outside of tickets to the venue, free and open to the public. The group sets up about an hour before the performance starts, gathering along the back walkway of the lawn on the right side of The Shed stage.
Shippee, who moved to the Berkshires about 9 years ago, said she’s made a lot of friends while picnicking, and that it’s a great way for people new to the area to meet others. The organizers are hoping to plan picnics at other venues post-Tanglewood season, even into the fall, with indoor picnics in the winter.
Still, although the Elite Picnic Club means that some will put an inordinate amount of energy into their music meal prep, it’s really about the camaraderie generated by the peaceful surroundings and world-class music.
“Just bring your chairs and a dish to get involved. We love to have new members,” Fontana said.
The dates and themes for upcoming Elite Picnic Club events are on the group’s website and Facebook page.
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