Related by Marriage: Picnic Culture

Lithuanian churches, like the Roman Catholic Parish of St. George, organized picnics at Vytautas Grove, on Chicago's South Side.

These were key occasions for "first wave" Lithuanian-Americans, who saw the elaborate picnics as a chance to escape their working-class routine.

Picnics, like most other Lithuanian entertaining, usually occurred on Sundays. By the early 1950s, the picnics became meeting grounds at which the offspring of "first wavers" could meet newly arrived—and eligible—Displaced Persons.

Vytautas Grove, Chicago, Illinois, Summer 1949. Mr. Irene's maternal Grandparents slip into their finery for a Sunday picnic. Mr. Irene's Grandfather, Stanley, has his mouth full, and Mr. Irene's Grandmother, Anna, wears a hat and a butterfly-print dress.