| This article is about the 3rd Grade Annual Picnic. You may be looking for the Annual Picnic. |
The 3rd Grade Annual Picnic is a picnic for third graders, which is seen in "Arthur Accused!". It is unknown whether it is for all third graders or just Lakewood third graders.
Arthur and his friends were looking forward to this picnic. However, when Mr. Haney reminds Arthur to bring the quarters he collected to Mrs. MacGrady for her fundraiser to buy a puppy for the fire department, and Arthur tells him he already did, Mr. Haney disbelieves him and tells him she just told him she never got them. Then when Buster tells Mr. Haney and Miss. Tingley about the high score Arthur got at pinball at the arcade, Mr. Haney and Miss. Tingley accuse Arthur for stealing the quarters. In Mr. Haney's office, Mr. Haney and Miss. Tingley tell Arthur since he was the one responsible for the money he was supposed to give to Mrs. MacGrady and they think he stole them instead of give them to her, they then punish him to have him thrown into after school detention for a whole week and he'll have to miss the 3rd grade annual picnic as punishment, making Arthur worried. So Buster decides to solve the mystery to find out what happened to the quarters for Mrs. MacGrady's fundraiser.
When Buster asks Mrs. MacGrady about her whereabouts, Mrs. MacGrady is seen making brownies for the picnic as she tells him she was in the cafeteria yesterday making them, and that Mr. Morris came over to mop the floor after some of her brownie mix overflowed. Buster suggests he should taste one of the brownies, but Mrs. MacGrady tells him no one touches them until the picnic.
The next day, as Buster was thinking he was unable to solve the mystery, Buster apologizes to Arthur since he now really was going to miss the picnic and comforts he know he's really innocent and Arthur thanks him for being for trying his best and admits he's a bad detective, but a good friend.
At school, all the kids were lined up to board the school bus to head to the picnic. Buster gets in line, but Arthur is taken into the school by Mr. Ratburn to be put into detention. Just as Buster was about to board the bus to head to the picnic, when Brain tells him he feels the same way when his brain is overflowing, the word overflowing gives Buster another idea. So he takes Mr. Haney with him into the school and they run down the hallway and into the kitchen where Mrs. MacGrady was getting ready to take her brownies to the picnic. When Buster asks Mrs. MacGrady if mix ever overflowed again, she tells him no and thinks she just made too much, but Buster then gives the correct answer saying, "There was too much cause there was one extra ingredient: Quarters.", and he takes one of the brownies and snaps it and a quarter flies out. It is then revealed that Mrs. MacGrady accidentally mixed the bag of quarters into her brownie mix after Arthur left it behind along with the bag of flour, and Mr. Haney then realizes that Arthur is innocent all along.
After Buster announces that Arthur is innocent, all the kids cheer and run into the detention room and the kids and Buster take Arthur out of the room and to the school bus. Arthur is happy too for Buster's accomplishment and he got to go to the 3rd grade annual picnic after all.