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By Mike Barnhardt

Enterprise Record

The 145th annual Masonic Picnic is this Saturday in Mocksville.

Sponsored by the Farmington, Advance and Mocksville Masonic lodges, it will be held from 10 a.m.-6 p.m. at the Masonic Picnic Grounds off Poplar Street.

Once the biggest event in Davie County, the picnic went on some hard times before its most recent resurgence. It has been held to support the Masonic Home for Children in Oxford, once known as the Masonic Orphanage.

It’s that desire to help children that keeps the picnic going, said James Taylor, a member of the Mocksville and Farmington lodges and chair of the picnic committee this year, which also includes Clyde Nestor, Brad Wood and Les Steele.

With sponsorships, the picnic has already raised more money than the last two year’s combined, Taylor said.

The day will include live music and a 5,000 square-foot dinosaur exhibit, all free, and a dunking booth, vendors and food trucks. Some children from the home will be bused in for the afternoon.

The picnic all but died just prior to Covid, with only a few families participating in a meal, Taylor said. He decided to hold a food truck rodeo, and about 300 people showed up. That gave them hope that the picnic – unlike the way it used to be – had a chance to survive.

“It sparked a little interest, and people started to get more involved. It’s harder now, because not as many businesses are locally owned (Many closed on Picnic Thursdays of the past.).”

The Masons actually lost money the last time amusement rides were a part of the week-long event. “It won’t ever be like it used to be,” Taylor said. “But it’s slowly growing and getting more community involvement.”

Mastor Masons Dean Allen, Rommie Barney and Barry Myers weren’t here for that first picnic at the shoals in Cooleemee in 1879, but they remember its heyday when just about everyone in Davie County and many from beyond attended.

Allen remembers going as a child. “To us, it was like going to Disneyland. It was the biggest thing I had ever seen.”

“People would come just to see all of their friends,” Barney said. He remembers when every Mason in Davie County had a picnic job. His was bingo. “If you were a Mason, you had a job at the Picnic. And we always had well-known, famous speakers.” Sen. Sam Ervin was here. So was Sen. Jesse Helms, whose photo at the picnic was featured in Time Magazine.

“The picnic went down because society changed. We can’t compete with Carowinds,” Barney said.

And not all Masons volunteer to help any more. There are also more options for activities and entertainment for children and adults.

“People used to really pack it in here,” Myers said. “All of the businesses in Mocksville closed and the majority of them came here to eat dinner.”

Myers remembers his first trip to the picnic as a child.

“I was a little feller, and this girl was my girlfriend back then, and we rode the ferris wheel,” Myers said. “She’s at Rich Park now with our grandchildren.”

Such are Masonic Picnic memories.

Make your own memories on Saturday, have a bite to eat, listen to music, check out the 30 or so vendors and help some children at the same time.