Our group is proud to announce the Mid-Ohio Regional Atheist Picnic 2013, sponsored by Mid Ohio Atheists Inc. Again this year we are inviting groups from all over Ohio to our annual get together at the Mohican State Forest. The general public is also invited to come out and meet some atheists, as long as they are respectful and not trying to proselytize to us. The picnic will be held on Sunday, July 21st, at noon at the Mohican State Forest. (MAP)
We have met at the Mohican State Forest four times before and had a great experience each time. This year though we will meet at the North Park Shelter. Once you are in the forest, follow the signs to the shelter. Come rain or shine, we will still have the picnic as the shelter will protect us from the rain.
Contest
Again this year we will have a contest that will benefit Harmony House, a homeless shelter in Mansfield. A representative of Harmony House said what they need the most, and what most people don’t think to donate, is toilet paper, trash bags, and paper towels. So, the contest winner will be the one that brings the most of those three items. You can donate other things as well, but the contest will be decided on only the amount of toilet paper, trash bags, and paper towels that you bring. Prizes will be admission to the Great Lakes Atheists Convention in August, tee shirts, buttons, and pens.
This is for a good cause and I hope we can collect lots of these items for Harmony House like we did last year.
Games & Activities
We will have several activities for children and adults, including a corn hole tournament, Frisbee toss, and ladder ball.
Good Conversation
The main reason to go to the picnic is for the company. We hope to see all of our members there and people from all around the state and beyond. It’s great to talk with like minded people and so refreshing to have conversations that aren’t stuck at the ‘does god exist’ level.
Public Invited
We also invite the members of the general public who wish to meet atheists. This is not an invitation to have people come out and proselytize to us but rather a chance to meet with atheists and learn more about our beliefs and see that we are normal people too.
Speakers
This year we will have five speakers. It is unusual to have speakers at a picnic but we tried this for the first time last year and it worked out well. MOA greatly appreciates the following people for volunteering to come to our picnic and sharing some of their wisdom and experiences with us:
- Frank Zindler, Director of American Atheists Press will speak on “Why only atheists can save the world”
- Rachel Johnson, student and podcaster will talk on “Atheist Activism”
- Dan DeMurra, Atheist activist and organizer will share his views on “Life Beyond Faith”
- Douglas Whaley, OSU professor emeritus, lawyer, LGBT activist, and author will speak about “What atheism can learn from the LGBT movement”
- Shauna Strand Sowga, humanist, will share her experiences in “How secularism has affected my life”
Good Food
What would a picnic be without good food? We have already started the list of what foods people have volunteered to bring. Go to our picnic sign-up post and see what others are bringing and send an e-mail to picnic2013@midohioatheists.org with the food(s) you will bring. Feel free to bring anything you like even if it isn’t on the list or someone else already volunteered that item.
We estimate we will have about 75 people show up. Keep checking back here as the number of people will be updated as more people respond. The list of items will be updated as we receive emails also.
