SEMINARY PICNIC MAINTAINS 99-YEAR TRADITION IN PERRYVILLE

PERRYVILLE -- Bill Wingerter doesn't know how many pounds of hamburger will be grilled or how much fish gets fried, but no one who attends the Seminary Picnic Saturday or Sunday will go away hungry.

Wingerter said nearly 6,000 people will be served this weekend during the buffet-style dinners at the St. Mary's of the Barrens Seminary grove.

The picnic begins at 1 p.m. Saturday. Dinner tickets go on sale at 1:30 p.m. Saturday and at 9:30 a.m. Sunday.

For 99 years people have been coming to the picnic to eat and visit with old friends, Wingerter said. "It started as a basket dinner."

But basket dinners have progressed to fish fries, hamburger stands, pork sandwiches and chicken dinners. And for dessert, there is plenty of homemade ice cream.

The picnic is sponsored by St. Vincent de Paul Church. The event is held at the grove across Highway 51 from the seminary proper. It includes five acres of picnic grounds and 25-acres of parking space.

Billed as the largest picnic in Southeast Missouri, nearly 25,000 people are expected to attend. After all, this isn't just an ordinary picnic.

"It's a homecoming," Wingerter said. Many of the families in Perry County, both Catholic and Lutheran, gather at the seminary grove to catch up on old times and visit with friends.

In the picnic's early days, people who had moved out of the county always returned for the picnic, he said.

There's something for everyone, he added. Carnival rides for children, music, and bingo.

But the bingo prizes are handmade quilts sewn by women in St. Vincent's parish. Nearly 250 quilts will be given away during the weekend.

Another favorite at the picnic is the carousel. Wooden horses on the antique carousel make the ride a trip back in time. The carousel is stationary but the horses are removed after each picnic and stored.

"I forget how old they are," Wingerter said. "And I'm 66."

He does know that the horses aren't as old as the picnic, but arrived shortly thereafter.

Even with all the changes, additions and larger crowds, "the picnic is still the same," Wingerter said.