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Community Picnic

Community Picnic

The August 2018 Community Picnic was a success in celebrating our community and the value of every person here! At the picnic, residents enjoyed local food, beverages and family fun at no charge, thanks to 133 local partners, 300+ volunteers and many individual donors.

Check out the gallery of Picnic photos and videos!

Picnic Family

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COMMUNITY PARTNERS

Many thanks to our community partners and volunteers who helped make the Picnic another success!

The following local partners came together to contribute the time, money, goods and services that allowed us serve the 6,700 picnic attendees! In 2018, more local partners contributed to the picnic than in ANY previous year. Please help us in thanking our many partners:

Advanced Disposal, Aqua Skiers, Aspirus Riverview Hospital & Clinics, Assumption Catholic Schools, Baker StreetWesleyan Church, Bauer’s Floor Mart, Blooming From the Heart, Blu Play Cafe, Bohn Trucking, Borntreger’s Bakery, Bull’s Eye Country Club, Burger King, Cakes By Heidi, Central Home Improvements, Central Rivers Farmshed, Chat-R-Box Restaurant, The Church at Wazeecha, Cintas, Cisewski’s Produce, City of Wisconsin Rapids, Clean Green Action, Cold Snap, Community Fundraising Resource Center, Copps, Corenso Wisconsin Board, Corenso Wisconsin Core, Crazy Davis Sugar Emporium, Current Technologies, CVS Pharmacy, Dairy Queen, Dairy State Cheese Co., Donahue Super Sports, Evangelical Free Church, Family Natural Foods, Fey Printing, Flyte Family Farms, Free Life Farms, The Friendly Manitoban, Garden Market, Gee & Me Jump Around, General Beer, Bob Gifford, Golden Acre Farms, Good Fellas, Gotta Go Rentals, Grace Lutheran, Grace’s, Great Expectations, Granny Flanny’s Farm Fresh Products LLC, Hagen’s Orchard, Heartland Farms, Home Run Electric, Hotel Mead, Ida’s, Illinois Seed Foundation, Immanuel Lutheran Church, lncourage, J Farms, J2 Catering, Joanne’s Macarons, Khang Family Farm, Nhia Vang Khang, Knights of Columbus, Lamers, Kong Lee, Leo’s Tractors and Trucks, Local 2-187, Lonely Oak Farm, Mai Yang Lor, Pa Yia Lor, Maple Ridge Farm, McCain Foods, Mielke’s Farm, Song Moua, ND Paper, Nekoosa Port Edwards State Bank, North Central Utility, Ocean Spray, Okray Family Farms, Our House Senior Living AC & MC, Our Lady Queen of Heaven Catholic Church, Peach Street Farmers Market, Perkins, Piggly Wiggly, Pioneer Bank, Quality Foods IGA, Rapid Quality Lawn & Landscaping, Rapids Sheet Metal Works, Renaissance, Romano’s Pizza, Ron’s Refrigeration & Air Conditioning, Rubi Reds, St. John’s Episcopal Church, St. Lawrence Catholic Church, St. Luke’s Lutheran Church, St. Philip Catholic Church, Schroeder Brothers Farm, Shaw Lee, Solarus, Soua Produce, Speichland LLC, Subway, Sunrise Rotary Club of WR, Sweet Bee’s Honey, Sysco Foods, Yee Thao, The School at Altenburg’s Farm, Tommy’s Home Grown Veggies, United Methodist of Port Edwards, Long Vang & Kou Lor Vang, Vang Produce, Venus Gentlemen’s Club, Soua Vue, Southbound, Water Works & Lighting Commission, Wild Horse Saloon & Banquet Facility, Wisconsin River Meats, Wolosek Landscaping, Wood County Farmers Market, Wood County Health Dept., Wood Street Rental, WR Auxiliary Police, WR Citizen’s Police Academy and Alumni Association, Wisconsin Rapids City Times, WR Fire Department, WR Moravian Church, WR Rafters, WRYSA, Joe Vang Xiong, Xiong Family Farms, Chee Yang, Wa Tou Yang, Jose Zaragosa Farm, and our 250+ volunteers!

Why a Community Picnic?

Incourage established the Community Picnic in 2012, providing an open and inclusive setting for:

  • fostering connections among neighbors
  • highlighting local assets
  • promoting collaboration between local businesses and organizations

This event helps to realize the organization’s vision of a community that works well for all people.

Incourage believes that there is no better way to build relationships and increase understanding than to spend time together. When you get to know your neighbors, it changes your understanding of this place. Working together, we will realize our community’s full potential.

In 2017, we were humbled by these statistics, showing that the Picnic is becoming increasingly community-owned:

  • 73 picnic partners (businesses and organizations donating services or goods); 43 of the partners were food providers (providing ingredients and products, cooking pork and hot dogs, making salads, side dishes and desserts). In 2016, we had 61 picnic partners.
  • 90% of the meal incorporated local ingredients.
  • 300 volunteers donated more than 800 hours of service before, during and after the picnic.
2017 PICNIC PHOTOS

Click on any image to enlarge

Videos

Community Picnic, Community Owned
Each year, the Community Picnic sees an increase in partners, including residents and organizations – contributing time, money, goods or services. Let’s hear from some picnic partners who helped ensure the success of the 2017 picnic, proving that good things happen in our community – rain or shine.

You can tell that Harold Altenburg loves his community, no “buts” about it! He helps makes things happen and has the infectious ability to rally others for their help too! (Interview from 2014 Community Picnic).

  • Community Picnic, Community Owned

    Each year, the Community Picnic sees an increase in residents and organizations contributing time, money, goods or services. Read More >

  • Contribute to the Picnic

    Do you want to contribute to the Community Picnic in some way? Click here for more information!

  • Resident Profile

    "Don't give up on your hometown!" This is the sentiment of sisters Hannah & Gracie Wendels. Read More >

  • Resident Profile

    “There is the old saying ‘it takes a village’. If everyone would become engaged in something they may be passionate about or interested in, they would see the potential and the growth,” Tammy & Sarah Salewski share. Read More >

  • Picnic points to community change

    When is a picnic more than a free meal? When it’s designed to celebrate and foster appreciation for local assets and the dignity and worth of every community member. Read More >