SCC event committee chair Jenny Haynes, right, works with SCC board member Jeb Schramm to grill up hotdogs, beyond burgers and cheeseburgers at the Labor Day Picnic on Monday. Tabitha Johnston

SHEPHERDSTOWN — The Shepherdstown Community Club’s annual Labor Day Picnic was held at Morgan’s Grove Park on Monday. While some aspects of the picnic remained the same as in previous years, including the potluck lunch, grilled picnic food and live music performed by the Rohrersville Band, it also featured a series of new activities, ensuring it catered to attendees of all ages.

According to Shepherdstown Community Club (SCC) president Carrie Blessing, the purpose of the picnic is to give back to the community that supports the club.

“Everybody’s welcome. It’s our opportunity to thank the community for supporting us,” Blessing said. “We’ve been doing community picnics and community dinner since the club started. Actually, that’s kind of how it started — as people were coming back from the [Civil] War, the War Memorial Building was used to welcome home veterans, so they did community dinners in the War Memorial Building.”

As Blessing began to welcome attendees to the picnic, her son could be found participating in one of the additions to this year’s picnic — a Community Boot Sale. Other activities added to the picnic this year included a moon bounce, Kona Ice food truck, rock painting for the park’s new rock snake and a new Spanish/English story walk.

“We were trying to have a younger, more family-friendly vibe,” said SCC event committee chair Jenny Haynes. “We want people to become familiar with us and that we do own the park and that we’re always looking for volunteers and new members, with new ideas.

Children paint rocks together to add to Morgan’s Grove Park’s rock snake, at the Labor Day Picnic on Monday afternoon. Tabitha Johnston

“I just love when people get together!” Haynes said, mentioning she has been attending the Labor Day Picnic for years. “It’s good to be able to step back and relax and enjoy some food, without worrying about day-to-day stuff for a time. When you see everybody having a good time and spending time together as a community, it makes all of the hard work worthwhile.”

Some of the families taking advantage of those new additions to the picnic were those of Erin Dober, of Kearneysville, and Amanda Hylton, of Winchester. Their families came to the park to have a picnic together and took advantage of the kids activities, including the moon bounce and rock painting.

Dober, in particular, said she makes a point to celebrate Labor Day, because it honors the contributions of laborers to the development of America.

“My uncle is a steel mill worker. So, that’s what I think about, when I think about Labor Day — all of the work that he does to keep our country doing well,” Dober said. “Of course, the extra day off of work is nice, so we can hang out with friends that we don’t get to see often.”

Over on the side of the park’s pavilion, new SCC board member Jeb Schramm could be found grilling up cheeseburgers, hotdogs and hamburgers for the picnickers. According to him, there was another valuable reason for participating in events like the Labor Day Picnic.

A couple of picknickers enjoy a conversation together, as children fill up the moon bounce at the Labor Day Picnic on Monday afternoon. Tabitha Johnston

“We spend so much time, as a society, doing stuff that pulls us apart,” Schramm said. “This is a good event that brings us together. We’re living in a very divisive world at the moment. It’s nice to have something where none of that matters — you can just come and have a burger and enjoy yourself.”

Kearneysville resident Erin Dober watches eight-year-old Adeline Perez and three-year-old Juliette Perez line up the rocks in "Roscoe" the rock snake at Morgan's Grove Park on Monday afternoon. Tabitha Johnston