Doan’s 140th annual picnic to be celebrated May 6
The oldest, continuously celebrated pioneer festival is back again this year for the 2023 event in Doans, Texas.
The Doan’s 140th annual May Picnic will be 10:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. May 6 near Doan’s Crossing at FM 2916 on the Red River, just north of Vernon.
The picnic began in 1884 and has been celebrated every year since – even through WWI, WWII and there was a modified version during COVID.
The Doans’ adobe house, built in 1881 by Corwin F. Doan, is the oldest home in the county. Doans, the town, was named after the Doan family. This area was the last stop on the Great Western Trail before Native American territory. People came through to get supplies as they traveled north with cattle herds.
The Doan family came to Texas from Ohio, where they had always celebrated May Day with flowers. The Texas celebration began when family and friends walked over to a field full of wildflowers and enjoyed time together.
While the apostrophe was dropped in the town’s name, it is used for the name of the picnic event. Local legend says the Texas Highway department lost the apostrophe for the town’s sign somewhere between Austin and Doans.
The timeline usually includes naming of the year’s man and woman, coronation of a picnic king and queen at 11:30 a.m. followed by lunch.
This year’s woman of the year is Lou Quinby Byrd and the man of the year is Daniel Carroll White.
Everyone is welcome to join in the festivities. Picnic-goers can bring their own lunch or purchase barbeque on site.
For more information, call 940-552-7998, visit their website at https://doansmaypicnic.com/doansmaypicnic.com/Main_Doans_Page.html or their Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/CelebrationPicnic
This article originally appeared on Wichita Falls Times Record News: Doan’s 140th annual picnic to be celebrated May 6
