Picnic Table Nostalgia

In the past few years there has been a big shift in focus regarding outdoor living and entertaining. Obscuring the agency between indoors and outdoors has become big company and has set homeowners on a quest to find the exquisite accessories.

If you've done any seeing colse to for outdoor furniture, you probably have noticed a seemingly endless array of offerings. There is all from superior teak dining sets (which looks just like an indoor dining room table and chairs) to resin, all-weather wicker materials. The strides that have been made in this field are nothing short of incredible...and it appears that there is not an end in sight. New designs, textiles and add-ons come into the market on a daily basis.

Now, don't get me wrong. I'm an outdoor living fanatic, probably like many of you. But with all the new innovations, we tend to forget about some of the tried-and-true elements--one of these being our old friend, the Picnic Table.

There's not much history on the origin of the Picnic Table. Most agree that the invention of the joined benches with a table gained popularity in the late 1800's. The majority of these eating units were seen in social parks (still are), other social conference places and Smalltown Usa.

The name itself, "Picnic" actually heralds memories of a by-gone era. Now we talk about Barbecue's, Cookouts and Grilling. It seems as though the art of the picnic has somehow been swallowed-up throughout the years. Sounds like a cue for an report on fine picnic dining. I'm sure that if you mention summer picnics, or picnic tables to any baby boomer, that they would have some heartfelt and endearing memories with abundance of stories to tell. If any of you have some, I'd love to hear from you.

With all that's been going on with the economy, it might not hurt to re-introduce a sLight of "the good old days" back into our lives. Picnic tables are still relatively inexpensive ( at Home Depot) and if you must, you can get them in other materials than wood-even recycled plastic! Hmmm...a "green" picnic table. Why not even have your church, synagogue or other assosication originate a Picnic Table Fund and put dedication plaques on them to remember someone special. Then invent an annual Picnic in everyone's honor. What a great way to originate a renewed sense of society with an unparalleled piece of Americana-the Picnic Table.