HR0562 LRB096 13537 GRL 28285 r

1
HOUSE RESOLUTION

 
2     WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois House of
3 Representatives are pleased to honor the organizers of the
4 Trask Bridge Picnic Tribute for their work in paying tribute to
5 the old Trask Bridge Picnic; and
 
6     WHEREAS, In the fall of 1909, the Burritt Grange #1759 was
7 organized; the newly formed Burritt Grange was officially
8 chartered on January 10, 1910; and
 
9     WHEREAS, In the fall of 1910, four Burritt farmers decided
10 to set up a local Harvest Picnic for their area; after making
11 big plans for the event and arranging for various dealers and
12 entertainment vendors to attend, the farmers held the first
13 picnic in late August of 1909 on the Scott farm on Cemetery
14 Road; hoping to have as many as 150 people show up for the
15 picnic, the men were shocked to find that over 1,000 people
16 arrived from northern Illinois and southern Wisconsin; and
 
17     WHEREAS, With the original picnic a resounding success, the
18 Burritt farmers, exhausted from their tireless work, decided to
19 get the Burritt Grange to sponsor the following year's picnic;
20 after the group agreed to sponsor the event, the Trask Bridge
21 Picnic was born; the picnic of 1911 was held in Andrew's Grove,
22 where many school picnics, Sunday School picnics, and family

 

 

HR0562 - 2 - LRB096 13537 GRL 28285 r

1 gatherings were held; the picnics were continually held in
2 Andrew's Grove until 1965, with the exception of 1932, when a
3 new highway was being built, and 1942 to 1945, due to the
4 ongoing struggle of World War II; and
 
5     WHEREAS, At the height of the Trask Bridge Picnic's
6 success, as many as 50,000 to 60,000 people attended the
7 picnic, which was always a one-day affair from 8:00 A.M. until
8 7:00 P.M.; unfortunately, as time went on, procuring help for
9 the picnic became harder to come by and the picnic came to an
10 end on August 26, 1965; and
 
11     WHEREAS, Starting in 2004, an annual Trask Bridge Picnic
12 Tribute was held on a smaller scale than the original picnic in
13 order to celebrate the heritage of the original event and to
14 renew old acquaintances in the area; the Tribute Picnic is
15 currently sponsored by the Burritt Museum; therefore, be it
 
16     RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE
17 NINETY-SIXTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we
18 honor the organizers of the Trask Bridge Picnic Tribute for
19 their work and wish them continued success and happiness in the
20 future; and be it further
 
21     RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be
22 presented to the organizers of the Trask Bridge Picnic Tribute

 

 

HR0562 - 3 - LRB096 13537 GRL 28285 r

1 as a symbol of our esteem and respect.