The bribery offers start as soon as judges hit the lawn at Cary's Koka Booth Amphitheatre before a Saturday night performance of the N.C. Symphony. Jeannie Mellinger and Sue McKeon, both of the symphony's marketing department, are judging the evening's Picnic of the Week contest. McKeon sports a black apron proclaiming the contest; they are easy to spot.
Kevin Lowe, 43, of Cary, calls out to them: "You want some dip, wine, whatever it takes."
As the judges weave through the crowd, it becomes clear that these symphony-goers are serious about their pre-concert picnics. They have brought folding tables covered with musical-note tablecloths, crystal vases with floral bouquets, even bunting.
And food: buffets with the usual chips and dips, cheese and crackers, olives and grapes, vegetable and fruit trays but also shrimp marinated in a mustard-dill sauce, salmon with peach and strawberry salsa and homemade brandied peaches served over ice cream.
And, of course, lots of wine.
"It's sort of a tailgate party, maybe not the beer and chips crowd but the wine and cheese crowd," says Lowe, who comes to most of the symphony's Summerfest concerts with a group of about 10 friends. Lowe and he and his friends often coordinate their menus to reflect the symphony's musical theme: Russian food for a "Swan Lake" performance, Caribbean food for a pirates concert, American fare for July Fourth.
Setting the scene
Summerfest, now in its 26th year, has brought symphony fans onto the amphitheater's sloping lawn; about 2,500 patrons lie on blankets or cluster in lawn chairs.
The regulars often arrive when the gates open at 5 p.m. to secure their spots on the lawn, choosing a center aisle with the best view of the stage, a nice shady space in the back, or a front-row seat because they are "groupies" of cellist Bonnie Thron. Their picnics range from takeout pizza to elaborate meals with decorations. Most enjoy the meal as the sun sets, and then settle in to listen.
"Summerfest is the best kept secret in North Carolina," says patron, Don Hiller, 73, of Cary. Even before the picnic contest started last year, Lowe says there has always been a friendly competition among the regulars: Who has the coolest tables, best chairs or neatest decorations? His group's chief rivals are two men who built a cart that transforms into a table.
Not just bragging rights
That would be Mike Conley and Jim Black, both of Cary, and the evening's first-place winners. (They receive a gift certificate for a Whole Foods picnic basket filled with $100 worth of goodies. Two honorable mentions win $20 Whole Foods gift cards.)
Conley and Black built "The Wagon" eight years ago to make it easier to cart all their coolers and supplies into the amphitheater. They have made modifications over the years: a drawer to hold the plates, silverware and napkins; a wine chiller that hangs off the table; wine glass rests; and even a hanging vase for the flowers so their view of the stage isn't obstructed.
Black notes that they even have a level and a few blocks to make sure the wagon is on even footing and no wine is spilled. This evening's menu: cheese and crackers, vegetables and shrimp, Mexican tortilla rollups and then two flavors of sorbet, tangerine Riesling and mai tai.
"We love being able to take our own things in to eat and drink," Conley says. "And really the friends you go with make it. You do all the work before you get there and then relax."
Several yards away, the food attracts the judges to one foursome's picnic. Molly Chiles of Raleigh is spreading horseradish sauce on slices of rare roast beef perched atop bread. There's also shrimp in a mustard and dill sauce, apple and raisin coleslaw and tomato and mozzarella salad. Chiles and her husband, John, are celebrating their 44th wedding anniversary with friends, Leslie and Ed Coman of Raleigh.
"We are prepared to offer the judges a glass of wine," jokes Leslie Coman. "I did bring extra glasses, and we have red or white."
In the end, no bribe is necessary. Their food spread is enough to persuade the judges to award this foursome an honorable mention.
