Waterloo Merchants Picnic in the park (c.1910). Click the photo for more details.

Church, company and family picnics have been a popular activity in Waterloo Park for well over 100 years, both inside and outside the Park Pavilion. The photo above shows some local business men, including a couple of young Seagrams, having a beer-filled picnic. This wasn’t an uncommon sight in the early days of the park. Following a drop in picnic activity during World War II, the year 1946 saw a resurgence. Some of the major picnics listed in the newspaper were for the Order of the Eastern Star, Knox Presbyterian Church, Dominion Tire Company and the Waterloo County Federation of Agriculture at which Prime Minister Mackenzie King spoke. Also mentioned in the newspaper was the Hallman Reunion which expected over 2,000 people to attend!¹⁷

Race winners at Waterloo's Cityhood picnic (1948). Click the photo for more details.

In 1956, fees to book the park for a picnic were 3 cents/person or $3 for the first 100 people. For a group of 500 people the cost was only $12! However, local groups were not charged for use of the park. These fees were only for out-of-town visitors.

Doll competition at Sunshine Waterloo Company picnic (1945). Click the photo for more details.

With all the picnic activities and other goings-on in the park, it was not always the quietest place to be. A 1940’s article entitled “Noise-Makers Irk Waterloo Park Board” talks about the trouble they were having with “rowdy young people, inconsiderate motorists and motorcyclists” who were disturbing the Waterloo Band concerts with honking, running motors and reckless driving. One board member said, “We practically need policemen with clubs to keep them quiet.”¹⁷

Today Waterloo Park remains a popular (and much quieter) picnic spot with six general picnic areas.

Group of businessmen and dogs having a picnic (c.1910). They brought along a gramophone. Click the photo for more details.