When I showed friends my photos from the Gothic Picnic in Toronto, we decided to have our own picnic here in Nova Scotia. My partners in planning this event were Kelly and Stuart Marnay. Kelly knows some of the people employed by Point Pleasant Park in Halifax; they were kind enough to grant us permission to hold our picnic there.
Point Pleasant Park is right on the ocean front and is full of paths which wander through the trees. Following these paths, you can see lovely ocean scenery, or explore the various ruins of old battlements which were built over 100 years ago. One of these groups of ruins right on the shore provided the perfect setting for our picnic.
Since Kelly and Stuart had held their very nice outdoor wedding only weeks before, they decided to continue the celebration. Kelly wore a Gothic wedding gown and Stuart wore a lacy shirt and short cape.
Photo opportunities abounded amid the atmospheric ruins.
Since picnics are usually family affairs, we encouraged anyone interested in attending the picnic to bring along their kids. A number of children came and had a wonderful time playing in the ruins.
People explored the ruins, enjoyed the waterfront, or sat on blankets talking with friends. No special events were planned for the picnic, but there seemed to be plenty to do.
Or at least we thought no events were planned for the picnic.....
The day before many of us had attended a science fiction convention, and Bobie and I had performed a skit in which a couple of "vampires" get a "snack" from a member of the audience. We picked on John, an unsuspecting friend of ours.
Some friend John turned out to be! The next day, he showed up at the picnic prepared to deal with any vampires he might come across!
Everyone got a lot of fun out of this. It seemed especially appropriate considering the ruins all around us.
People were almost lining up to have their photos taken being "staked" by John the vampire hunter.
All good things must come to an end. By late afternoon the picnic was over, but the memories and photos remain.