Boyertown PA
8-18-2026 4:19am

Alumni Band To Headline Great Swamp Picnic

by Nancy Swavely Mest

How can the month of August be halfway over already? Where has the summer gone?

If you have not done so, please enter Saturday, August 22, 2026 in your calendar as the The Great Swamp Picnic! 

This is a massive, historic community festival hosted by the New Hanover Evangelical Lutheran Church. Dating back over 100 years, this traditional homecoming event is held annually on the fourth Saturday of August, rain or shine. 

The church's picnic grove features a pavilion and recently updated parking to ensure excellent accessibility for those with mobility issues. Visitors are highly encouraged to bring their own lawn chairs or blanket.

A vast spread of traditional comfort food and Pennsylvania Dutch delights will be served cash-only, starting at 4:00 PM. Icons of the menu include their signature homemade hot roast beef sandwiches, pulled pork, grilled chicken, baked beans, french fries, kettle soups, and over 10 flavors of Longacre's ice cream.  Dinner prices typically range from $5.00 to $12.00. And don’t miss out on the homemade desserts!  

Entertainment will be provided by the Boyertown Alumni Band beginning at 6:00 PM. This concert is open free of charge. This outdoor concert will feature some fun and familiar selections. There will be traditional marches as well as a new selection commissioned by the Boyertown Alumni Marching Unit composed by Travis J. Weller (ASCAP) in celebration of the unit's 50th Anniversary. 

Band member David Ermold will be featured in Arlen R. Saylor’s arrangement of "Bugle Call Rag." A medley of favorites from the 1965 musical, Man of La Mancha will also be on the docket. The band always provides a wide variety of music for everyone to enjoy. This is a family-friendly event and open to all age groups.

The picnic grove is located at Swamp Picnic Road between Route 663 and Lutheran Road in Gilbertsville, PA 19525.  (To learn more about the Great Swamp Picnic, check out last year's article from The Expression.) 

Hope to see everyone there for food and music from 4-8:00 PM on Saturday, August 22, 2026. www.boyertownalumnimarchingunit.org  

Nancy Mest is a longtime local music educator, graduate of the Boyertown Area Senior High School class of 1978, and lifetime member of the Boyertown Alumni Marching Unit. She serves as an assistant to the band captain and directs the Ceremonial Band at many local community events. Mest also performs with "Finely Fluted," a flute ensemble that serves many of the local churches in the area. When she's not making music, she enjoys gardening and sports, as well.

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