David Dalton Thomas (right) held a signing event for his book titled, “Picnic: Willie Nelson’s Fourth of July Tradition,” on April 28 in Luckenbach. “I came to my first picnic here in 1995,” said Thomas, adding that what began as a ‘picnic’ in the early 1970s has evolved into a cultural gathering. “In 1983, they stopped letting people bring their own stuff, so technically, it’s not a ‘picnic’ anymore,” said Thomas. “But if Willie wants to call it a ‘picnic,’ who am I to disagree?” Thomas signs the book for David Anderson (left) of Fredericksburg. Anderson is mentioned in the book as he was the outside bar manager in Luckenbach’s Town Loop in the late 1970s. Thomas first covered the event as a journalist for the San Angelo Standard Times and has meticulously researched the history of it, adding that he’s been to every Texas event since the mid 1990s but has never been to one of the rare out-of-state events. This year’s 4th of July Picnic will be in Camden, New Jersey. The book remains available for purchase at the Luckenbach gift store. – Standard-Post/A. Avila