Summer is the time for vacations, road trips, picnics, family reunions, and all types of outdoor fun. These activities are well represented in the Heritage Collection and tell a variety of stories along the way.

Camping is still popular activity but in times past there were not as many gadgets available for ease of tasks or comfort. These photos depict folks “roughing it”, enjoying some time living with just the basics for a few days in very simple shelters.

Photo 14186:  Bob Baur and two others outside of their tents enjoying some quiet reading time. — **Photo 14186: Bob Baur and two others outside of their tents enjoying some quiet reading time.**

**Photo 20081: Martin Davis and two other men camping.**

These two images show the Pittenger-Shirey-Wilson camp near Fairview. The families are enjoying tent camping, outdoor cooking, and quality time together.

Picnics are a great way for family and friends to gather and enjoy one another’s company, especially now during Covid when outdoor activities are deemed safe for gatherings. Here we see members of the Betterton and Davis families enjoying a “Sunday Outing” near the White River in Daleville.

This photo depicts the Radabaugh family having a picnic under the Parker-More Bridge off of Burlington Drive east of Muncie on the White River. There is no date for the photo but the family has obviously traveled to the site via horse and buggy.

Summer is also the time for family reunions. Heekin Park in Muncie has long been a site for reunions and parties. In this 1948 photo the large Pittenger family has gathered at the park for their reunion.

Another gathering was held at the home of F.H. Pittenger. This photo was labeled as the “Marks Reunion” and shows the family posed in front of the stone block Pittenger farmhouse near DeSoto.