Bigger and better was the promise advertisers made 125 years ago on the promotions announcing the annual Jameson Picnic and it’s the same promise made today.
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The 125th Annual Jameson Picnic will be held Aug. 11, 12 and 13 in the Jameson City Park.
Beth Wheeler grew up two houses east of the park and recently retired and moved back to the same house. She remembers when she was a child and watched from the windows for the early arrival of the carnival workers.
“They’d go right past our house on Sunday,” she said. “They always wanted fresh vegetables. We’d sell them tomatoes, onions and cucumbers from family’s garden. It was a thrill as a child to be able to interact with the people who made the carnival possible.”
The Picnic still features a baby show on Friday, country and classic rock bands and for the past several years there has been a parade.
Thursday night is the amateur talent show. Tap dancing, singing, playing of instruments or telling jokes are a few examples of talents competing for a prize.
Wheeler remembers the talent shows of her youth.
“Each child in our family would have something to memorize and recite,” she said. “I remember my father would open a closet and reach way up high for a book of poems. I’d practice and practice. Mr. Holley, the superintendent, would give each child a quarter as we came off the stage. Students often thought our teachers lived at the school, so seeing them as a public face was new realization.”
Riding the rides, running around with friends, hot buttered popcorn and cotton candy and funnel cakes, magical acts, even a contortionist hanging from a tree limb are just some of Beth’s vivid Picnic memories. “It was wide-eyed stuff for little kids,” said Wheeler.
In 1892, what is now known as the Jameson Picnic, was a true traditional picnic, with each family bringing baskets filled with food.
Now food is sold at the fair at a concession stand called The Cook Shack. Lots of food including, hamburgers, hot dogs, picnic fries, and all kinds of homemade pies a along with one very special food with a secret recipe —The Legendary Tenderloins with more than 1,500 sold over the span of the event.
“When I got old enough, big enough, and smart enough I was allowed to work at the Cook Shack,” said Wheeler. “In those days, all the cooking was done in a small, small camper style trailer.”
Then, as now, the Picnic was held in the Jameson Park. It originated with the Knights of Pythias Lodge for its members, families and friends. Now it is sponsored by the 24 members of the Jameson Lions Club as it has been since 1952 when the club was organized.
“Our dad was a founding member of the Jameson Lions Club, which is one of the earliest ones in the state,” said Wheeler. “He was Master of Ceremonies at the Picnic. Prior to the Picnic, he and other Lions would sell ads to businesses for a display on the Picnic bill. The bill was 18”x24” with the ads stacked and the Picnic program line-up in the middle.”
The advertising tagline from early Picnic posters read ‘Come to the Jameson Picnic where there is plenty of shade and free ice water.’ In those old days, a large metal stock tank was filled with water and cooled with blocks of ice and metal cups hung on a wire above the stock tank for all to share. At the 100th anniversary, a tin cup with a decal celebrated the event.
Dating back to 1892, the Jameson Picnic is among the state’s oldest festivals. The State Fair claims to be 115 years old, but the Jameson Picnic has seen 125 years of family fun. That’s 125 years of renewing friendships, creating memories, sharing stories, and eating good food.
The railroad transported people to and from the early-day event. The railroad cars waited on a side-rail near the depot for the ride home.
“The normal run wasn’t enough for Picnic passengers so they put on extra railroad cars to bring them to town,” said Wheeler. “They’d walk to the park and stay until it was over. They’d leave to go back to their hometowns, tired, sleepy and happy.”
Wheeler remembers past years of motorized rides — the barrel rides, swings, ferris wheel, the merry go round, and the little kiddie car and airplane rides. But now carnivals require bigger crowds and a guarantee of revenue before they’ll come to a community. So, Jameson Lions now have an inflatable bounce house, jousting, slide, and contests and carnival games available.
Jameson, located in northwest Missouri along rustic Highway 13 has a population of 133. It takes more than 300 volunteers to provide, prepare, sell and serve the food, along with washing the dishes and cleaning the area over the duration of the Picnic. At Picnic time, volunteers come from throughout Daviess County and beyond. Jameson’s population swells to more than 500.
“We have tremendous volunteers,” said Wheeler. “Individuals and organizations volunteer to work in the Cook Shack. For example, The Daviess County Courthouse employees and elected officials operate the Cook Shack for a shift as does the Gallatin Theater League. Alumnui, families, and folks using their vacation will say, ‘We’ll take care of it’. That means everything, including the team behind the curtain, the ones cooking and cutting the pies along with those in front of the curtain, waiting on customers and keeping the condiments stocked and the area clean. Missionaries from Adam ondi Ahman bring mowers to trim the park up really nice the week of the Picnic. Others repair the benches and bleachers. “Much of the work done, especially in advance of the Picnic’s start is invisible, except that if it were not done it would be greatly noticed.”
This working together, volunteering, and serving others is the heart and soul of the Picnic and the Jameson Lions Club.
The village of Jameson is little but mighty, where the community works tirelessly to put on a big event and keep the tradition alive and growing for the next generations to enjoy.
“In time, I grew older, left for college and a career,” said Wheeler. “The Jameson Picnic was a huge part of coming home and coming together. Now, I’m retired and able to help with planning and conducting the Picnic. I see that the community has more enthusiasm than ever. Remember that tagline? We still have free ice water and plenty of shade and each year we make it bigger and better than ever.”