A gray, overcast Saturday morning became a sunny, breezy afternoon as DSFederal employees, families, and friends gathered at beautiful Black Hills Regional Park for an afternoon of food and fun. Allspice Catering provided an abundance of delicious food, and the park's expansive green spaces, picnic shelters, and views of Little Seneca Lake offered an idyllic retreat for human and canine guests.
The day started early. Ekaterina Casa, Larysa Nazarenko, and Alex Emmerman filled the picnic shelter with beautiful autumn color, as Allspice staff members unloaded chafing dishes and platters of food, and coolers full of cold drinks. With the decorations in place, guests began to arrive, and the party was underway.
Dogs and children make any event more fun, and both were in attendance on Saturday, eating and playing and enjoying lots of attention. A robust spirit of competition was evident as multiple sports and games were played--some trash-talking might even have been overheard. FDA Clarity Project Manager Dominic Francis and Director of Enterprise IT Solutions Thiagarajan Prakash offered an impromptu cricket clinic; and Senior Recruiter Giselle Martinez served as Master of Ceremonies and Karaoke Impresario. Analyst and Technical Writer Jessica Chen, DSFederal's artist in residence, offered face painting for children and adults alike, and guests eagerly awaited the afternoon's raffle (with proceeds to benefit the DSFederal IDEA Foundation).
After a summer of hard work that culminated in graduation from the 8(a) program and several important contract awards, DSFederal's employees were ready for some fun, and the picnic was the perfect opportunity to strengthen friendships and celebrate success. With ten years behind us and our second decade underway, we are grateful for our continued success and our amazing people.