At dusk on a glorious summer evening in downtown Chicago, it’s almost obligatory to throw down a blanket and enjoy your evening meal under the inviting twilight skies.
It can be as simple as picking up a sandwich at a nearby eatery and finding a spot to sit on the grass. But if you really want to amplify your picnicking skills, consider participating in this year’s Picnic Contest on the Great Lawn in Millennium Park.
The contest will be held on Saturday, August 6, before the world premiere of American composer Michael Gandolfi’s The Cosmic Garden in Bloom along with Mozart’s Great Mass in C Minor. Carlos Kalmar will be conducting the Grant Park Orchestra and Chorus, so your ears will enjoy the treat just as much as your stomach.
Criteria for the contest will include incorporating the themes of A Picnic in the Cosmos. Judges will consider creativity of décor, imaginative menu, presentation of food and drink, and clever team name. Get a group together and contemplate how to bring these themes to life picnic-style.
Prizes include Macy’s Gift cards, Macy’s Stonewall Kitchen gift basket, dinner for four at Columbus Tap, and a 2-gallon tin of assorted popcorn.
Picnicking doesn’t have to be complicated, though. New Eastside resident Phoung Pihlträd has been picnicking at Millennium Park every summer.
“It depends if you want to make it fancy or simple. If fancy, plan ahead. Choose three things to do (that are) easy to carry with you,” says Phoung.
Most people will agree that picnic foods should be easy to eat and not too messy. Whether you dine perched on comfortable lawn chairs or even the latest inflatable furniture, you should be able to carry your spread to the park without pulling a back muscle.
“For me, a picnic is on the lawn,” says Pihlträd. “The only thing between me and the ground is a blanket.”
Even if you don’t score a winning prize at this year’s contest, your picnicking efforts will offer a tangible consolation: the opportunity to relish your meal, however simple or fancy, in the warm summer air as the sun goes down.
Angela Gagnon | Staff Writer
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