By Jared Rutz and Seahvosh Nikmanesh

I wanted to find out more about the PTOS Annual Picnic, which will be held from 12-6 PM on May 31^st at Fort Hunt Park in Virginia, so I talked to Seahvosh Nikmanesh, co-chair of the PTOS Social Committee.

I see this year’s PTOS Picnic has a Wild West theme, what should I look forward to?

The food and the rides will have a Western theme, and we're hoping that some of the participants will also get into the Wild West spirit.   As far as food goes, we're planning to have chili dogs, chili burgers, and chili, among other things.  For rides, we have a mechanical rodeo bull, and, as always, the object is to try to stay on as long as you can.

We wanted to have fun, so we thought that having themes would be a good chance for people to get into the spirit of things.  We're hoping that some of our guests will take this opportunity to get out some of their Western wear.   Also, I thought it would be a good chance to break out my new cowboy boots.

What kind of outfit should I wear?

Since it's a Wild West theme, people are welcome to wear boots, spurs, hats, vests, or whatever they’ve got.  It should be warm out, and hopefully the weather will be cooperative.  Even if the weather doesn't cooperate, we have the pavilion, so we can be under cover for eating and all that good stuff.

Are there fun things for kids to do?

We'll be setting up a bunch of rides, including a rock climbing wall, an obstacle course, a bounce castle, and we'll have a pony.  There will also be a bounty of western themed foods, including chili.

I’m not a kid, are there fun things for me to do?

Most of the rides are for all ages, and the adults may also partake in our selection of adult beverages.  There will also be pick-up sports, usually we’ll have volleyball, flag football, softball, and soccer.

How do I get tickets?

You can order tickets online through the PTOS reservation system (http://ptos.org/reservations/), or pick up tickets from one of our ticket sellers: Rebecca Eisenberg (RND 7D13), Terry Dey (MDW 7D64), Tsung Yin Tsai (KNX 10C73), Martin Rogers (REM 6B09), or Seahvosh Nikmanesh (JEF 7A49).  Tickets are $4 for PTOS members, and $6 for guests or $4 for children ages 2-12 of members and are available until COB May 23rd.  People eligible for membership in the PTOS are not eligible to come as guests.

Do you need people to help with the event?

We love having volunteers to help run the rides, and to help clean up afterward.  If you’re interested, you can contact Seahvosh Nikmanesh or Robert Hodge.  Overall, we hope people come out and have a good time, we're looking forward to a fun event.