ROSELAND —A group of Countee Cullen Elementary School alumnus decided in 2010 to host an informal picnic as a way to catch up with old friends from their far South Side neighborhood.
Now organizers said the picnic has became an annual gathering for alumni and residents who grew up near Cullen, 10650 S. Eberhart Ave.
"It went from 60 people the first year to over 200 last year and it keeps on growing," said Michael Johnson, 43, a Cullen alumnus. "It's always good to see everyone and find out what they're up."
Unlike the last three years when the picnic was held at Tuley Park in West Chesterfield, this year's all-class, free picnic is from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Saturday at Palmer Park, 201 E. 111th St.
Attendees should bring their own food, chairs and "anything else they need to hang out and have fun because this is a free event," added Johnson.
Not everyone at the picnic will be a Cullen alumnus.
Shaun Lovett has never attended Cullen but grew up on the same 10800 block of South Calumet Avenue as other Cullen alumnus and said he remains close friends with all of them.
"I see the picnic as a family reunion because most of us have been friends since we were five years-old," Lovett said.
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