DMC held its first company picnic a few weeks ago at Chicago's LaBagh Woods. I have fond childhood memories of attending my parents' company picnic, especially hanging out with the other kids from their workplace, tossing water balloons, and jumping on the moonwalk. I wanted my children to have those memories as well, and luckily was able to make that happen with DMC's Activity Fund budget.
Finding a location was my biggest challenge, as there aren't many grassy areas in the city of Chicago with a shelter, restroom, and space to rent a moonwalk. After a lot of research, I found LaBagh Woods, which is only a short distance from the office. The space books up fast, so I had to get a permit for three months in the future!
When the August 11 picnic date came around we had great weather and a wonderful turnout. About 60 people attended the picnic including 15 or so children ages eight and under. The menu was your typical cookout fare of burgers, sausage, hot dogs, and all the fixins!
Thanks to the help of the rest of the Microsoft Consulting team, we had a good variety of games to play at the picnic. Each game had an adult and a child winner who received mini-trophies. Check out our winners!
Egg Relay Race: Eric West, Anjay Bharadwa, John Sullivan, and Aaron Brey
Tug of War: A whole lot of people!
Hula Hoop: Avani Bharadwa and Tamara Brey
Watermelon Eating Contest: Jordan Harris and John Sullivan
Water Balloon Toss: Avani Bharadwa and Megan Riordan; Devon Fritz and his roommate
Another highlight of the day was watching the kids fill little water shooting rockets that were handed out after the games were complete. There was no hose to fill them, so the kids came up with creative ways like using melted ice from the coolers. They ran after their parents to "cool them off!"
The first company picnic was a success, and it was great spending time with everyone's families while enjoying summertime fun and a little competition. Hopefully the company picnic will become another DMC tradition. Start practicing your egg relay!
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