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The Spring 2001 Ohio Pantheist picnic was held at Highbanks Metro Park (Columbus Ohio) yesterday March 24th. Five Ohio PANs
were there: Susan Hall, Steve Cox (Susan's husband), Rick Davis, Stuart Stell, and myself. Although I had never met Stuart
or Rick before when I did I felt I already knew them a bit through their posts.
We met at 1 PM in the Park's Nature Center. Despite Steve's valiant efforts we were not allowed to set out copies of Pantheist
literature for interested Nature Center visitors (see leaflets in Steve's hand).
In the Nature Center there was a snapping turtle who surveyed us with cold reptilian gaze from the underwater safety of his
aquarium, various salamanders, an exhibit on the earthworks in the park dating back to two prehistoric Native American cultures
(Adena and Cole), and a gigantic but life-sized model of a fossil of a Devonian armored fish whose fossilized jawbone had
been found in the park. The fish was gigantic - the whole fish would have been larger than a Volkswagen. In the museum's
wall was a picture window looking out on an outdoor bird feeding station which was being deluged by various species of woodpeckers
ncluding several Pileated Woodpeckers. It turns out that just about everyone but me is a birder.
We left the Nature Center at 2 PM and went to the picnic area. It was cold and very windy but sunny. Between us we brought
a lot of food and all had a feast. My feasting was interrupted by the arrival of about a dozen very friendly Siberian Huskies
energetically pulling leashed people around. It turned out that the people being dragged were members of the Columbus Siberian
Husky Club who specialize in rescuing Siberians in need of adoption and finding homes for them. As someone who has in the
past owned 3 Siberians I was a goner! I took their card, and unless a modicum of sanity returns to me first, I am definitely
at risk of adding a Siberian-in-need to my present menagerie of a Golden Retriever, A Sheltie mix (another rescued dog) and
a horse (also a rescue adoption). Pantheist picnics are clearly very dangerous! [Editor's note: Sanity did not return; Walt
is now the proud and happy (if slightly crazed) owner of three dogs and a horse.]
After eating we went on a hike. We saw prehistoric burial mounds (Adena culture - contemporary with ancient Greece), and the
remains of an earthwork surrounded by a moat (Cole culture - contemporary with the Middle Ages). The moat is the only local
breeding ground for the rare Jefferson salamander, which migrates to it from over a mile away - quite a crawl if you're salamander
sized. The earthworks were build of a red clay core surrounded with yellow clay (both clays having been transported to the
site from different locations elsewhere). They may or may not have been fortifications. It is possible that they were religious
or ritual constructions of some sort. They surrounded a village on one side, on the other sides the village was protected
by the cliffs of the high bank for which the park was named. Or perhaps, like the Medieval castles they are contemporaneous
with the earthworks may have served both ceremonial, and defensive functions.
We hiked to a wetlands and tried to identify the many species of ducks we saw in a lake. On the way to the wetlands we saw
gravestones of a pioneer family which had settled and died in the area.
Hiking through the still leafless woods we enjoyed each other's company, told jokes, and discussed Pantheism and a nature
preserve/guest lodge that Rick had found out about. Steve has corresponded with the naturalist couple who run the preserve.
[Editor's note: See April 2001 page on Weekend at Highlands Nature Sanctuary.] One idea we discussed was for local Pantheist
groups to each *adopt* a Nature Center, sending it a yearly contribution in the group's name.
We found out that in June, Steve will be performing a Pantheist marriage ceremony for two of our members (who unfortunately
couldn't make the picnic) - and it will be officially legal. We're calling Steve *Reverend Steve* much to Susan's consternation,
*Irreverend* Steve being more to her liking.
Those at the picnic will help staff the Pantheist booth at the Unitarian Universalist Assembly in Cleveland this June.
So I think the Ohio Pantheists have made a good beginning. How about those of you living elsewhere? Hoping to hear what you
have been up to. If you haven't yet met, get together and things will start happening. It's worth driving over a hundred miles
for. You'll see.
Walter Mandell, March 2001
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