Photo submitted to Times Observer Veterans participate in a Folding of the Flag ceremony at the 2018 Veterans Family Summer Picnic.

For many, the COVID pandemic resulted in being stuck at home, cooped up, away from friends.

The Warren County Veterans Council is hoping to chase away that isolation with its fourth annual Veterans Summer Picnic. The event will be held from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday, July 24, at Wilder Field in Irvine.

Warren County veterans and those family members living with them are welcome. Lunch including burgers and hot dogs will be provided.

Those attending are encouraged to bring chairs and pop-ups, according to Veterans Affairs Director Delores Stec. Alcohol and firearms are not allowed at the event.

Music will be provided throughout by Smokehouse and Kokomo Time Band.

Both groups have played at past veterans summer picnics, Stec said.

It has been two years since the last picnic — the 2020 event was canceled due to COVID-19.

“The object of this this year is to get the veterans back out, have a good time, swap stories, and see people they haven’t seen,” Stec said. “We’re hoping for a good turnout — 250 to 300.”

COVID-19 made it so that even neighbors became strangers for a year. “Even though they live down the road, they haven’t seen them,” she said.

It’s not a purely social event. There will be numerous vendors specific to veterans at the event – veterans affairs, job placement services, and the like.

The Pennsylvania Mobile Veterans Service Van out of Fort Indiantown Gap will also be on scene.

Stec expressed her thanks to Ellwood Group for allowing the event to be held at the field.

Anyone with questions is encouraged to contact Stec at (814) 728-3477.

“Come on out, have fun, and relax with friends,” Stec said.