Pinehurst Picnic drew large crowd

It was a beautiful day Monday, after the much needed

rains from Lee stopped on Sunday and the cool front pushed through. It

left clear skies and temperatures 20 degrees cooler then previous

weeks. Seniors came out in droves for the annual Labor Day Picnic in

Pinehurst.

"This is our 13^th Senior

Citizens' Picnic and every year except last we've had 500 or 600 here,"

said Pinehurst Mayor T.W. Permenter. (Editor's note: It was raining

last year shutting the band and picnic down early. The rain also caused

lower overall attendance.) "We've got 643 according to the paperwork.

People are still coming. We've quit registering, but people are still

coming to eat," he said around 12:30 p.m., Monday.

Robert's Meat Market had once again supplied the food for the picnic

"It's great!

Wonderful crowd, the weather is beautiful and glad everybody is here."

There appeared to be more dancers on

the floor than previous years, twirling to the sounds of B.B. and

Company featuring Britt Godwin and Bubba Moore.

"Everybody loves Britt Godwin, he plays a little bit of all of it," said Permenter.

Even those that have difficulty walking

were on the dance floor. Kitty Mouton, who lives in Victory Gardens,

was on the dance floor with her footed walking stick.

"I love it. I come every year and this is the only time I get to go dancing," said Mouton.

"I don't go out to the clubs anymore."

Billy Trahan, Laurel Hemming and Malois

Hinton should be kicking themselves for leaving the picnic early,

missing out on the top door prizes.

Happily claiming them in their stead

were three lucky citizens. Mary Bickey won the rocking chair supplied

by the City of Pinehurst and Robert's Meat Market. Vonnie Plunkett won

the second rocking chair, supplied by Welch's Furniture. The big

screen TV was won by Mabel Durio. It was donated by Orange Savings Bank

and the Sears store in Pinehurst.

Some of the other door prizes were

donated by Sears, Orange Baptist Hospital, the Pinehurst Volunteer Fire

Department, Larry's Barber Shop, and Shangri La Botanical Gardens and

Nature Center, to name a few.

Permenter wanted to thank the Little

Cypress Lions club and the Pinehurst Pentecostal Church for assisting

in serving at the picnic.