Women’s Board’s 100th Picnic and Bazaar will be held this summer

by Judith Hruz

Editor

July 27 will be a day to celebrate in Olney.

The Women’s Board’s annual Picnic and Bazaar will return after a year’s absence due to the coronavirus pandemic.

On top of that, the day will mark the 100^th anniversary of the beloved event.

This year, however, might mark the final year the Picnic and Bazaar is held, at least in the form people have come to know it.

“We are brainstorming for an event that will bring the community together as the Picnic and Bazaar has for the past 100 years,” said Christine Hill Wilson, president of the Women’s Board, which supports MedStar Montgomery Medical Center.

“We made this extremely hard decision based on the logistics of the event, equipment becoming obsolete and additional regulations,” she added.

In the meantime, this year’s event will be held from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. on the old hospital grounds on Olney-Sandy Spring Road (Route 108) near Prince Philip Drive.

Details on what the event will include are still being formulated. In the past, it has been known for its friend chicken and corn on the cob, music and entertainment, plants, books and jewelry sales, and more.

Tables of jewelry have always been a hit at the event. Donations can be dropped off at the Thrift Shop on the old hospital grounds.

The annual Picnic and Bazaar has been celebrated since the inception of Montgomery General Hospital, now known as MedStar Montgomery Medical Center.

It began as the “Hospital Supper,” raising $1,000 in 1920.

Throughout the years it continued to grow, from “The Supper & Bazaar” held at Sherwood High School to the annual “Picnic & Bazaar” held on the old hospital grounds.

Generations have come and gone and the community has changed in many ways, but the strong support for the event remains.

All funds raised support Women’s Board pledges made to MedStar Montgomery Medical Center and its scholarship program for students pursuing a degree in health care.

The Women’s Board is asking the community to consider volunteering “to help us make this the best event,” Hill Wilson said.