Not everyone was dealing with bulk-food preparation. Charlyn Cassady of Baltimore and Randy Avers of Riva were attending the event for the first time and brought a modest, but elegant, picnic of hummus and pita, chicken, vegetables and strawberries and "some really fine wine" in Cassady's English picnic hamper.
But they also packed two chairs, a very small table, a pretty tablecloth and a vase with a few flowers. They sipped, snacked and did the crossword puzzle while they waited for the game to begin.
"This is a classy excuse to drink," said Avers, a Navy grad.
Carolyn Kammeier, an Annapolis resident whose husband is a former Naval Academy instructor, arrived with three young children in tow - and recipes for two drinks to honor the rivals - a St. John's Croquet Cocktail and a Sparkling Blue & Gold for Navy's colors.
"Both are made with champagne. Obviously," she said.
Key advice from veterans?
* Pack finger food that doesn't need constant refrigeration: "This isn't a tailgate, it is a lawn party," said Casey Pingle, whose beef tenderloin with yogurt-horseradish sauce has been a staple since she began coming in 1993.
"You don't have access to your car and bunches of coolers. You have to have food that can go three or four hours without too much cooling."
* Pray for good weather. But not too good. "Drizzling and 42 degrees is not so much fun," said Pingle, an Annapolitan who volunteers at the St. John's Mitchell art gallery. "But sunny and 80 degrees can be just as hard."
* You can cater it from a grocery store: David Kidd of Bolton Hill, one of the first Imperial Wickets and a St. John's graduate from 1985, said, "We stop at Graul's supermarket on the way over and see what we like and order it. We did lobster salad one year, but it turned out everyone wanted the fried chicken."
* Get there early. The match started at 1 p.m., but Chuck Gorun arrived before 9 a.m. to set up his wife Lisa's posh picnic site with linen-covered chairs, urn planters, crystal, silver, rugs and the generator for the chandelier. He expected 150 guests.
"What you have here is a champagne party with a little croquet going on somewhere nearby."
classic croquet picnic menu
* Smoked salmon or marinated beef tenderloin on sliced baguette
* Fried chicken or chicken wings
* Skewers of fresh mozzarella, cherry tomatoes and fresh basil leaves, dressed with a splash of balsamic vinegar
