The regular meeting of the Nittany Valley Running Club was held on Tuesday, August 4 at Spring Creek Park in Houserville in conjunction with the Annual Picnic. What a great venue for the picnic! I'm sure we'll be having it there again. The turnout was a little light. Maybe something to do with the drippy weather we've had lately. Those who didn't make it missed an unbelievable feast provided by Pam Scott. Many of you know Pam and her cooking from the mOUnTaiNBACK Discovery Series. This time she provided such a spread, including pulled pork, grilled corn, various spicy butters and relishes, and snacks and drinks, that the covered dishes that others brought were almost superfluous. I say almost, because there were some very good extras as well. Great desserts, including a snack made from Game Lands Blueberry Jam, courtesy of Vicky Mazur.

People kept trickling in for an hour, and a lot of the food got gobbled up. While everyone was digesting, Marty stood up and gave a few remarks about coming Club events. But other than that, the business side of the meeting was light, as is usual for the picnic.

While the picnickers were still in "waddling mode", Ann Skulas-Ray and Costas Maranas went to the basketball court to try to get a pick-up game together. After some warm-up shooting, she had six. It was "Greeks versus Geeks", Ann, Costas, and honorary Greek Davis Michael versus the Geeks: Minitab programmer John Wilcock, underwater rocket scientist Marty Mazur, and Anthropologist and GIS Mapping Specialist Greg "Indy Jones" Luna. And just like in the movies, the Geeks wiped the floor with the other team!

Just as the game ended, a brief storm hit the park. People helped pack up and move everything to the cars. Thanks again to Pam and everyone else who helped make the picnic great fun.

Next Meeting: October 6.