Click here to info from past picnics.

86th Annual Reunion of the Penn Colony of Nebraska

139 descendants of the Penn Colony attended the 86th reunion on Sunday, August 11 and 12.  A catered picnic dinner was served, topped off by a table featuring desserts made from traditional family recipes brought by attendees.    A business meeting was conducted by President Dan Pleiss.  Special recognition was given to Marian and Wayne Leatherman of Dawson celebrating their 65th wedding anniversary.  Fern Heim, 91, of Lincoln was the oldest in attendance and Sophie Hill, age 2 months from Solomon, Kansas was the youngest.  Gary Georgi of Temecula, California traveled the farthest.    The afternoon on Sunday was spent viewing displays of family photos, keepsakes and visiting.  Susan Latusek of Dike, Iowa and Cindy Callaway of Lincoln provided crafts and games for the children.    Saturday evening over 60 attended an old fashioned cold water melon feed at the Henry Heim home north of Dawson.  Guests toured the Heim House, future site of the museum.    The traditional Sunday morning memorial service was attended by 110 individuals at the Dawson United Methodist Church.  John Dallmann of Illinois delivered the morning sermon.  A pancake feed prepared by Sue Seaton of Kearney was held prior to the service.    Relatives attended the two day reunion from the states of Iowa, Missouri, Kansas, Connect, Oklahoma, Florida, Colorado, Minnesota, South Dakota and Nebraska.

Mark your Calendars! See pictures of past picnics in the picture area!

Saturday, August 11th and Sunday August 12th 2007 -The Annual Pennsylvania Colony of Nebraska Picnic is scheduled for the weekend of August 11th and 12th. The event will be a two day event. On Saturday at 10:00am the Ag. Building on the Fair ground in Humboldt will be open for those who wish to display historical items and to set up tables for the luncheon on Sunday. Families are encouraged to gather and use the air conditioned hall to visit and see the exhibits. Saturday evening an old fashion water melon feed is planned out at the Henry Heim farm. Persons who would like to tour the house and grounds are welcome as it will be open for you at that time. The Heim Cemetery is near and can also be visited during the week end. Sunday morning memorial worship service at the United Methodist Church in Dawson is scheduled for 11:00am. Following the church service the catered luncheon will be held at the Ag. Building at Humboldt. There will be a program and business meeting planned following the dinner. Special entertainment for the young people and children is planned while the adults enjoy visiting and taking pictures and looking at the displays. A popular event will contunue this year. There will be a dessert bar with the luncheon and throughout the afternoon. Persons who wish to volunteer dessert dishes are encouraged to bring pies, cakes, etc to the picnic that day with a card telling the recipe and the person in whose memory the dish is presented. Many tasty desserts made picnic goes very happy in years past and hopefully will again this year. Family and Friends are encouraged to make plans to attend. All persons interested in Pennsylvania German History are welcome to attend Pictures of some picnics from past years are on the picture pages.

How Did the Picnic Begin?

Many of us have been attending the annual Pennsylvania Colony Picnic all of our lives. We look forward to lots of good food and to getting reacquainted with our many cousins, who now come from a dozen or so states each August. We are indebted to the late Elma Heim Griffith for her account of how the tradition of the picnic got started many years ago. "Late in the summer of 1922 my parents (Jacob S. and Rebecca Heim) and I made an extended visit to Pennsylvania. In October, 1922, when we returned home, we brought with us Tom and Ida (Waltz) Ulmer, Tom's sister, Miss Louisa Ulmer, and Edgar Heim. Tom and his sister were cousins of Israel, Emanuel, Sarah, and Martin Ulmer, and Ida was a cousin to the John J. and Johnnie Heim families. Edgar Heim was a nephew of Henry W. Heim and came to Dawson to make it his home for a number of years. "In order that these people from Pennsylvania might meet the relatives here and get a good start on their visiting, my mother planned a general gathering for Sunday, October 15. Each family was notified to bring enough food and table service for their own family. We made a large table under the big maple tree in our front yard and all the food was set out on this table. Everyone enjoyed the hours of visiting during the afternoon. The young people played 'Last Couple Out,' 'Three Deep,' 'Run, Sheep Run,' and 'Ruth and Jacob' in the front yard. "This gathering was so much enjoyed it was agreed to make it an annual affair and to call it 'The Pennsylvania Colony in Nebraska Reunion.' For several years it was held in our yard. Then others of the group invited the Reunion to their homes. The attendance grew from 78 in 1922 to 120 in 1955. The highest number present at any time was 142 in 1949 (which celebrated the 75th anniversary of the colony's founding)." This account, we have edited, is taken from Elma' s Folklore of a Pennsylvania Colony in Nebraska, 1955. (Note that the 1999 picnic, a two-day affair celebrating the 125th anniversary, was attended by nearly 200 descendants.)

Picture of 125th Reunion in 1999. Are you in it?? Click on image to see larger picture