The Laudisi Family Picnic: An Enduring Tradition

July 3, 2019 by Kaz C. Walters in Events

Laudisi Enterprises (parent company to Smokingpipes.com, Cornell & Diehl, Peterson, and Laudisi Distribution Group) throws a grand company picnic in June every year, and while the tradition predates my joining the Laudisi family, it's an event that I look forward to. For anyone who isn't familiar with coastal South Carolina's summer weather, which can be capricious to say the least, it's unsure what to expect in the way of temperature and precipitation (the last three years have ranged from sunny with a light breeze, to light rain, to temperatures rivalling those of our sun's surface), but thankfully, this year was ideal, with just enough cloud cover for shade, and a comfortable breeze.

Everyone and their families started arriving just before noon, and it wasn't long after when cigars were toasted and pipes packed and lit. Conversation and revelry ensued, with friends congregating and sharing tobacco as we all eagerly awaited our feast of brisket, pork, ribs, chicken, and essentially any type of barbeque one can imagine (we South Carolinians take barbeque very, very seriously.) We wasted no time queuing up to fill our plates. After consuming our deliciously smoked meal, more smoke was on our minds and it was time again to light up. Virginia/Perique mixtures seeming to be the preference by a large margin, but I chose 1792 Flake in my Peterson Premier System, shape 303.

Not long after our meal, our fearless leader, Sykes, made his customary speech regarding our summer tradition and the communal spirit of our company, as well as remarking on his most recent trip to Dublin, from which he had just returned the night before. It was a fascinating speech, touching not only on the exciting developments with our European counterpart, Smokingpipes EU, but also the newest member of our family, Kapp & Peterson. Sykes made the observation that, while Peterson is the newest member of our family, it has been around far longer than any of us, and that while he was in Dublin he had the pleasure of meeting long-retired employees of the historical factory. Master silversmiths and pipemakers who have passed down their craft to countless others throughout their tenure shared stories and documented the lineage of their craft, including 96-year-old Paddy Larrigan, who recounted his memories of being taught by James Malone, who had been trained by none other than Charles Peterson himself. We all realized, just as Sykes did when listening to these gentlemen, that no other hobby, no other business, no other community does things the way they did over a century and a half ago, and how special it truly is to be a part of something so historical and unique.

Master silversmiths and pipemakers who have passed down their craft to countless others throughout their tenure shared stories and documented the lineage of their craft, including 96-year-old Paddy Larrigan, who recounted his memories of being taught by James Malone, who had been trained by none other than Charles Peterson himself.

At last it was time to burn off some barbeque calories with the company games. The first was to be the American Cornhole Competition, which was taken rather seriously by the participants, and after several rounds of elimination our Brand & Visual Assets Artist, Calvin Miller and Photo Graphic Specialist, Josh Wysong, ascended as the winning team. Once the winners had been crowned (presented with their especially made winners' t-shirts), we moved along to the final event for the day: Tug-of-War.

Like the cornhole competition, there were several rounds of elimination, with two teams competing. Arguably the most entertaining event at the picnic, the ground was slightly slippery from the night's rain, creating a lot of sliding and struggling and making victory difficult. After a battle of changing tactics and rearranging team members' positions on the rope, the "Tug of Warriors" (Russ, Robert, Aaron, Daniel, and April) finally found themselves the victors, wearing mud and sweat as their robes of triumph.

The day was over too soon, and sadly it was time to leave. Fun was had by all, and I daresay I'm not the only one who is eagerly looking forward to 2020's picnic, which is sure to be even grander, as it will mark Smokingpipes.com's vicennial anniversary. Memories were made and laughter was shared, reminding us all of why we love what we do and why we love being part of this hobby.