Well, the 94th annual Norwin Community Picnic will officially go down as one of the most memorable and unexpected evenings in the history of Norwin Community Picnics!
We LOVE this event – the Norwin Chamber of Commerce has worked so hard over the last few years to really transform the Community Picnic from what it was at Idlewild Park – to what it is now: a community event hosted in the heart of the community. The set-up and local businesses and food trucks they bring in get better every single year, the different events that take place during the day grow more seamless and well-run – I love how the Norwin Community Picnic has evolved and continues to evolve into a greater and more fantastic event every single year.
And of course: this year was no exception!
This year, the Norwin Chamber of Commerce brought in MORE food trucks, MORE entertainment, MORE local business, and MORE prizes than ever – it was truly incredible and promised to be a night to remember.
And then the weather said: “Just wait and see what I’m going to bring.”
The evening started off absolutely beautiful: blue skies, sunshine, and heat (but hey, it’s August, what can you expect?)
The forecast was showing about a 50% chance of rain starting around 7pm – and the clouds were definitely off in the distance threatening.
The prize drawing started right on time, and the emcee of the evening, my Dad: Steve Eichelberger, bravely forged ahead, even as those black clouds blew closer, the wind started to pick up, and everyone started to get a bit concerned.
Normally, the prize drawing process takes about 90 minutes (after all, they typically give away between 80-90 prizes), but with storms blowing in, Dad powered through calling names and somehow successfully called about 40 prizes in less than 20 minutes – which is when the storm hit in full force.
Torrential downpours, thunder, lighting, wind – it was fine until it wasn’t – and then it really WAS NOT fine.
As we all collectively pulled out our phones to check the radar to see how long this rain was going to last – you could almost hear the collective moan of several hundred people as we all realized: this was no “passing” shower, but a full blown storm that was going to last quite a long time.
So, the Chamber made the call – to end the evening. Dad announced that the Chamber would continue the prize drawing later in the week and would contact the winners on social media and by phone.
And with that, we all dashed out of there. But not without getting completely soaked in the process.
What an evening to remember!
If you’d like a waltz down memory lane, you can find my past posts about our days at the Norwin Community Picnic (some here in Irwin and some at Idlewild Park & Soakzone) here: Irwin Park 2025, Irwin Park 2024, Irwin Park 2023, Idlewild 2019, Idlewild 2018, Idlewild 2017, Idlewild 2016, Idlewild 2015
