Atkinson's School Picnic and Reunion on 22 June 1929

91 years ago today, on 22 June 1929, a picnic and reunion was held for the alumni of S.S. No. 2 Biddulph (also known as Atkinson's School) and their families. "Old Boys" reunions were homecoming events intended to bring folks together.

S.S. No. 2 Biddulph aka Atkinson's School, a one-room schoolhouse near Lucan, Ontario.

Atkinson's School was located on the side road half way between Concession 2 (on which the Culbert homestead, Poplar Farm was situated), and the Sauble Line in Biddulph Township, Middlesex County, Ontario, Canada. Click here and here if you missed the previous posts about Atkinson's School.

A large crowd attended the reunion from all over Ontario and the United States. They enjoyed a "splendid lunch" and an afternoon spent in races, softball, football games, and horseshoes. 

The games were well represented by four of the six sons of Myron Manford Culbert and his wife, Effie Pearl Taylor. These sons were Clifford Culbert (born 1912), Kenneth Culbert (born 1916), Ivan Culbert (born 1918), and Milward "Mel" Culbert (born 1920). Myron and Effie's fifth son, Merton Culbert (born 1926) would have been too young to participate, and their youngest son, Earl Culbert was only one month old at the time.

Source: Exeter Times-Advocate, 4 July 1929, page 6.

The following is a breakdown of which Culberts participated in each event:

Races for Boys over Ten: Kenneth Culbert.
Races for Boys and Girls under Ten: Ivan Culbert, Milward Culbert.
3-Legged Race: Kenneth Culbert, Ivan Culbert. 
Book Race: Kenneth Culbert.  
Wheelbarrow Race: Kenneth Culbert, Milward Culbert, Ivan Culbert.
Running High Jump: Kenneth Culbert.
Obstacle Race: Kenneth Culbert.
Leap Frog Race: Ivan Culbert, Kenneth Culbert, Milward Culbert. 
Balloon Race: Clifford Culbert. 

Hammering Nails Race: Eva Culbert. 
Eva Pearl Culbert (1915-1974) was the 2nd cousin of the Culbert boys I mentioned in the events, above. She lived with her parents, Wilson Wesley Culbert (1868-1949) and Pearl Elizabeth Cuddy on Concession 4 in Biddulph Township, along with her brothers, Aljoe Culbert and Alfred Culbert, and her sister, Wilhelmina "Willa" Culbert.  Eva's paternal grandfather was William Edward Culbert (1842-1910) who was the son of John Culbert and Mary Ward. Oh, and that Hammering Nails Race? It involved seeing who could drive nails the fastest into a board.

Many of the other participants are connected to the descendants of John Culbert and Mary Ward either by blood or by marriage. One such example is Jack Lankin who participated in the Chocolate Race. Jack Lankin was the 3rd cousin of the sons of Myron and Effie Culbert. Jack was related to the Culbert boys through their mother, Effie (Taylor) Culbert's side of the family. Born Jack Edgar Lankin in 1913, he took over his father, Harry Lankin's business. Harry had opened Lucan's first gas station in 1927. If you grew up in Lucan, you might remember Jack Lankin as the proprietor of Lankin Shell Station/Lankin's Variety on Main Street at the corner of Water Street. 

I don't have any photos of the Culbert boys at the Atkinson's School reunion. However, I have photos of them at a Taylor Family Reunion that same summer of 1929 so you can get an idea of what they looked like at the time...

Cliff Culbert, age 16

Ken Culbert, age 13

Left to right: Milward "Mel" Culbert, age 9; Grant W. Taylor, age 8; and Ivan Culbert, age 11. Grant was the Culbert boys' 1st cousin on their Culbert side, and 2nd cousin on their Taylor side. Yes, Grant was both their first cousin and their second cousin. 

All in all, it appears that a good time was had by all at the picnic/reunion. Yet I can't help but wish that a Culbert or two had participated in the "Hog Call for Men" and the "Dinner Call for Women."