Ligonier Valley Writers invite public to picnic at Unity farm

The Ligonier Valley Writers are setting a new scene for the organization’s annual picnic this year.

On Aug. 11, attendees will gather under a pavilion at the Jamison Farm in Unity for a feast of potluck dishes and local literature.

After holding the picnic for many years at St. Michael’s of the Valley Church in Rector, the group accepted an offer by members and farm owners Sukey and John Jamison to host the event.

Open to the public, the event is set for 3 to 5 p.m. It is free for group members and costs $5 for all others.

Those attending are invited to bring a main course, side dish or dessert, though it’s not required. After the meal, participants are encouraged to read from their own writing. There will be a chance to win a raffle prize.

Free copies of the 2024 edition of the Loyalhanna Review literary magazine will be available. In addition to locally shot photos, the edition includes Joshua Penrod’s essay on the Duesenberg pace car and its inventor’s death in 1932 when it crashed on Route 30 east of Ligonier and Jean Podralski’s musings about a world in which poets are rock stars.

Copies of the Jamisons’ 2018 book, “Coyotes in the Pasture & Wolves at the Door,” will be available for purchase. Written before the couple retired from raising and providing lamb for fine restaurants across the country, the memoir includes Sukey’s recipes.

Next up for the Ligonier Valley Writers is an Aug. 15 deadline for submissions to its 19th annual Flash Fiction Contest. Prizes of up to $50 will be awarded for top entries. Stories of up to 1,000 words are sought on the topic of mythological birds.

LVW will return to St. Michael’s at 3 p.m. Sept. 15 for the workshop “Freelance Writing for Fun and Profit,” led by freelancer Jim Busch.

For more about the Jamisons, visit jamisonfarm.com. The farm is located at 171 Jamison Lane, off Calvary Hill Road.

Visit lvwonline.org to learn more about the Ligonier Valley Writers.