Event/Site: 119th Masonic and Davie Educational Union Picnic at
Clement Grove Picnic Grounds in Downtown Mocksville
 

Type: Weeklong celebration featuring community-wide picnics on Thursday and Saturday, and nightly carnival rides, games and regional music, including bluegrass, old-time and gospel throughout the week.

Location: Clement Grove Picnic Grounds are located at 201 Poplar Street off North Main Street (behind the Brock Performing Arts Center) in downtown Mocksville, NC.  Click here for a map.

Cost: $1 at the gate except Thursday. Thursday picnic lunch is available to the public for $6 per plate. Saturday dinner prices according to items selected.

Parking: Free parking is available at the park, behind the Brock Performing Arts Center. Parking adequate for bus tours.

Special Needs Access: Venue is fully accessible.

Signage: Signs at location, but not en route.

Sponsor: Davie County Masons sponsor the Thursday picnic; Masonic Order Corinthian
Lodge Number 17 and Davie Education Union sponsor the Saturday picnic.

Contact: 

Thursday Masonic Picnic: 

Saturday Masonic and DEU Picnic:
Hubert West, Sr.
Davie Educational Union, President
(336) 998-3388

Elliot Wilkes
Wishful Master, Corinthian Lodge #17
(336) 751-3231

Description of Event: The Masonic picnic festivities get underway at the beginning of the week when the carnival pulls into town and sets up rides and amusements at the Clement Grove Picnic Grounds. Rides and entertainment are available nightly from 6 - 11pm. Local bluegrass and gospel musicians, such as Tommy Drifter and the Lost Travelers, add the region's music traditions to the festivities. Other entertainment has included the Davie High School Band, the children from the Oxford Home, and the energetic clogging team from the Masonic Eastern Star Retirement Home in Greensboro. Many townspeople take the day off on Thursday and come out for the sumptuous picnic lunch prepared by the Masonic wives. Then on Saturday the whole thing gets repeated, this time with an emphasis on African American gospel featuring local gospel groups accompanying the food from 4 - 6pm.

History of Site/Event: The Mocksville Masonic Picnic has been held annually since 1878 and is a fund-raiser for the Oxford Masonic Home for Children and the Masonic Eastern Star Retirement Home. In 1884, the Masonic Order Corinthian Lodge Number 17 and the Davie Education Union first co-sponsored a separate annual picnic the Saturday of the same week. The Saturday event was begun to raise money for a school for African American children. The school was built in Mocksville in 1888, and subsequent picnic proceeds continued to support local educational scholarships and later the Central Children's Home of North Carolina, Inc. in Oxford. The events are held in Clement Grove Picnic Grounds and have continued to take place separately, even though both are open to the entire community.

Description of Site/Facility: The Clement Grove Picnic Grounds have been a popular gathering place for Davie County folks for over a century. Located in the heart of Mocksville behind the Brock Performing Arts Center, the fenced park has both open space and shade, a picnic shelter and a covered arbor. Benches in the arbor provide seating to watch the music competition, and people bring their lawn chairs for additional comfort.

Significance of Site/Event to the Community: The Masonic Picnic and the Masonic and DEU Picnic bring together friends, family members, former schoolmates, and former county residents who have moved away in a celebration of their cultural heritage. The events are part of the legacy of the generations of children who have benefited from the support of the children's home and of learning opportunities made available through picnic proceeds. The week's activities with carnival rides and evening music, as well as the two picnics, bring daily entertainment and fellowship opportunities for the entire community. It is the most appropriate of settings to showcase the music traditions of the region in an historic location in the midst of the community, its good food and good works, and all its generations.

Please Note: Due to the nature of the information in the event descriptions, specific details, such as times and dates, can change. It is recommended to confirm information before attending an event. Events may be cancelled without notice. Also, please note that the mix of activities, music genres, and/or music acts at events, especially annual events, may vary somewhat year to year. In addition, please remember that Internet maps, particularly those of rural areas, may vary in accuracy.