Corvallis Baha'is help host 50th annual Race Unity Picnic

Guests enjoy an outdoor meal together.

The table is 85 feet and 10 inches long! And it took over 20 volunteers to cook for and serve nearly 200 people. That was just the beginning of the 50th annual Race Unity picnic in Corvallis.

People from all backgrounds - South Pacific, Asian, African, South American, Native American and European - were entertained by Musica Organica, performed by Alex Contreras who taught music at the University of Costa Rica and moved to Corvallis only two years ago. Group drumming has become nearly a tradition at the picnic. Directed by Dave Chiller, people lined up on both sides of a circle of picnic tables with percussion instruments of various kinds. and it sounded wonderful as they learned to keep the beat with one another.

In its beginning in 1958, the picnic was simply a potluck gathering of Bahá'ís and their friends. Now the event is also sponsored by the Benton County Board of Commissioners, Corvallis branch of the NAACP, Community Alliance for Diversity, the Martin Luther King, Jr. Commission of the City of Corvallis and Oregon State University Foundation as well as the Bahá'í community.

Joseph Lieberman, with his 6-year old daughter at the playground, was here because a Bahá'í friend invited him. When asked what he liked about the picnic he replied “ The location. The food. The people.”

Otila Ahwong Zuschlag once worked for a Mr. Ala’i in Samoa. She reminded us that the late King of Samoa was a Bahá'í. Otila joined the celebration at the invitation of her Bahá'í friends who last year hosted a memorial service shortly after the King’s passing. “The best part of the picnic is being in a group of beautiful people. It reminds me how beautiful life is, “ she said.

Drumming and singing were part of the festivities.

Reported by: Emily DeHoff (age 8) and her grandmother Lyn Martin

Photographs courtesy of Kit Miller