Leopold's annual picnic to be held Saturday

LEOPOLD, Mo. -- Saturday will bring an event everyone looks forward to -- the annual Leopold Picnic sponsored by St. John Church.

Long a Leopold tradition, the picnic brings back people who have moved from the area, and Leopold families get together on the picnic grounds to catch up with out-of-town relatives.

Visitors line up for the kettle beef, chicken and dumplings, fried chicken and homemade side dishes and desserts served in the dining hall. Serving starts at 3 p.m. and continues to 8 p.m., and the long line to the dining hall lasts for the duration.

Children and adults enjoy the different booths: the bingo game, homemade ice cream, cold beer, the gift shop and the fish pond. Live music for dancing will start at 8 p.m.

Work begins months before the picnic when women gather at the Knights of Columbus hall to make the dumplings and freeze them. About 175 pounds of flour goes into the dumplings. The parishioners order 700 pounds of potatoes, 300 pounds of cabbage, 50 pounds of onions, and 96 pounds of sugar. About 2,000 people eat at the picnic every year.

The meal is served family style on 12 long tables and each table serves the same main dishes, though some of the ladies personalize their table with canned vegetables or jellies brought from home.

The profits made usually go toward upkeep of the church, picnic grounds and St. John's School.

Pertinent address:

Leopold, MO