A picnic would hardly be a picnic unless a greased pole is counted “among those present.” The pole is just exactly what it sounds like, a greased pole, and at the top of it is a tiny flag which must be captured and brought down by the victorious climber who gets a very real prize. He deserves it!
A cousin game to that which entails climbing a greased pole, is one which offers any and everyone the privilege of catching a greased pig. If no fence is available a barrier is made with strips of canvas, strong strips and high strips! The pig, which has been made as slippery as any pig can be made, is turned loose in this inclosure and the chase is on. The one who catches the pig keeps him—and welcome!
It might be fitting to suggest that contestants in either event be offered the temporary use of overalls!
The Picnic Blues.
Anxious mothers have been justified in worrying when they saw Johnny and Henry gobbling down pie in wholesale and extremely hurried fashion, in a blueberry pie-eating contest. They know what will happen that night at 3 a.m.! It is not the blueberries that give her anxious moments either! Neither is it the contest. It is the heavenly blue smeared all over the countenance of Johnny and Henry, in every place a blueberry can find a foothold! That blue will be just as heavenly and smear just as well when its source is a thick blue sauce made of blueberries, and it is put into pie tins for the same contest.
The Subway.
Boys are lined up in columns, six or seven in each column, with feet spread apart. At a signal from the leader, the last one of each column gets down on his hands and knees and crawls through the natural “subway” to the front. As soon as he gets there he stands up in front of the column and calls “All set!” whereupon the last one of the column hurries through the subway, doing the same thing when he reaches the front. When the one who was originally the first of the column finally gets his turn and crawls through to his original place the race is over, and of course, all honor and glory and a prize to the team that can first get its original leader back to his place!
Two in One Race.
Boys are arranged in couples. The two forming each couple stand back to back with arms interlocked. One of them stands facing the goal. When all of the couples are so arranged, a signal is given and they start running to the goal, about twenty-five feet away, and return.
Two fat boys linked together and racing in this way make a sight worth going miles to see!