CALIFORNIA’S OLDEST ARMENIAN CHURCH TO HOLD 112TH MEMORIAL DAY PICNIC
Visalia Times-Delta
/NEIGHBORHOODS02/905170302/1002/NEWS01
May 18 2009
CA
Fresno’s First Armenian Presbyterian Church will mark Memorial Day
2009 by holding its 112th Annual Picnic in the heartland of the
Golden State.
The picnic will take place on Monday, May 25, 2009, from 11 a.m. to
3 p.m. in the Central Unified Aquatics Complex, 3535 North Cornelia
Avenue at Dakota Avenue in Fresno. The Complex is located at the
Central high School East Campus, one and one-half miles west of State
Highway 99.
Dedicated in the millennium, the Complex features enclosed and open-air
waterslides leading to a spacious landing pool. An adjacent zero-entry
activity pool includes a host of water novelties for swimmers and
waders of all ages. Red Cross-certified lifeguards will monitor the
pools and slides. Shaded canopies, a lush terrace, and a snack/beverage
bar round out the venue.
An all-new picnic menu will feature half-pound, all-beef hamburgers
with lettuce, tomato, pickle, and sliced onions for $4.50 per person
and Miller smokehouse hot dogs with chopped onions for $4.00 per
person.
Each meal includes a soda or bottled water, chips, veggie sticks,
and classic dessert. Additional condiments and beverages will be
available for nominal amounts. Meals are available on a dine-in or
take-out basis and will be served from noon until 2:30 p.m.
In addition to water sports and dining, the picnic will include
games for kids, softball for youth and adults, and country music for
everyone. The picnic will conclude at 3 p.m. with the observance of
the national Moment of Remembrance, an act of national unity in which
all Americans, alone or with family and friends, honor those who died
for the freedoms of our republic.
Forty immigrants from Marsovan chartered the First Armenian
Presbyterian Church in the upper room of historic Nicholls’s Hall on
July 25, 1897. Embracing the ideals of their newly-adopted country,
the pioneering immigrants observed Decoration Day, predecessor of
Memorial Day, from the inception of the church.
Reverend Mgrdich Melkonian is the Senior Pastor of the Congregation,
Reverend Aren Balabanian is the Associate Pastor, Shant Barsoumian,
M.Div. is the Pastoral Intern, and Brian and Janalee Melikian
are Co-Chairs of the Memorial Day Picnic Committee. More picnic
information is available by calling (559) 237-6638 prior to the
event, (559) 285-5644 on the day of the event, or by e-mailing
[email protected].
FAPC is a member congregation of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) and
the Armenian Evangelical Union of North America.