. Picnic in the Park came back with a basket-toting, bottle-popping vengeance Sunday evening. An organizer estimated 10,000 people attended the Forsyth Park event, which did not take place last year.
"People really missed this, and that's evident by the crowd," said Joe Driggers , chair of the city of Savannah 's Cultural Affairs Commission. For years, the Savannah Symphony Orchestra had provided music for the occasion. After the orchestra collapsed in 2003, the city's Department of Cultural Affairs assembled a "Picnic in the Park Orchestra ," composed of local and regional musicians.
Putting together such an orchestra and staging the event, never an easy job for the department's small staff, ultimately proved too difficult. Last fall, the park was silent. Sunday, the Savannah Sinfonietta and Chamber Players performed along with the Savannah Children's Choir and the Savannah Arts Academy 's Skyelite Jazz Band.
Picnickers enjoyed massive spreads of fancy foods under elaborately decorated tents. Wine glasses clinked as citronella candles dared the bugs to stay away. Barbara Schulz gathered with friends in 1920s-era dress.
Their theme - complete with authentic cigarettes, caviar and music - was designed to conjure memories of a Prohibition-era speakeasy. Schulz 's friends wore period hats and clothes. Men sat in tuxedos and one woman wore a fur stole.
Next door, a picnic was complete with a yellow-brick road and diners who dressed like characters in "The Wizard of Oz." That group took first prize. "It's just fun to see what people will do each year," said Brian Torres , dressed as Scarecrow.
"This is what Savannah is all about: perfect weather, great music. This is where you should be." Schulz and Torres gathered with friends at 15 picnics that competed in the picnic contest.
One group was noted for its efforts to include children while three others were tapped for their overall creativity. Nine judges helped select the top picnics. Those were the most elaborate participants, but they were by far outnumbered by throngs of cooler-toting, wine-sipping music enthusiasts who focused on enjoying the pleasant weather and soothing music.
"It's packed," said Rachel Wozniak , who sat with two friends on blankets with a small cooler of chilled beverages and some chips. "We're pretty simple. This is great because there's no TV and all that jazz.
You can just sit and be outside and listen to the music." Doug Wyatt contributed to this story.
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