Jameson community celebrates 135 years of picnic tradition 

ST. JOSEPH, Mo. (KQTV)-- The Jameson Betterment Association celebrated the 135th anniversary of the Jameson Community Picnic, one of Missouri’s longest-running community fairs, in a town of approximately 70 residents.

The annual celebration brought together homemade pies, a hometown parade featuring horses and community entries, and the debut of the first annual Jameson Community Car Show.

“It is an exciting day here in Jameson. We are going to have free games for the kids. There’s going to be the poker run, and starting at 1, we will have the car show,” Anne Rauth, member of Jameson Betterment Association, said.  

For Rauth, the picnic is about much more than a day of activities. It represents a sense of community and belonging — something she said the picnic has provided for generations of people in Jameson and throughout the surrounding area.

Some of Rauth’s favorite memories of the picnic date back to when her grandparents lived in Jameson.  

“When the picnic first started, which was Aug 9, 135 years ago, and many years after on the same day, there was a little baby who grew up thinking that this picnic was for her birthday and that baby was me,” Rauth shared.  

Volunteers from across the community come together to help make the picnic happen each year.

She remembers the carnival games that were once part of the celebration and have since been replaced by inflatable games.  

“My grandparents rented out all the carnival games for my first birthday,” she added.  

Today, Rauth hopes everyone who attends the picnic leaves with the same message: the Jameson community is in this together.

For her, the 135th anniversary was a chance to celebrate not only a long-standing tradition, but also the people who have kept it alive.