OSAGE BEND, Mo. -- Near the start of Sunday's annual St. Margaret of Antioch Catholic Church picnic, Virginia Holtmeyer was one of the people around the 23 quilts to be raffled.
One of them, a king-sized quilt named "Follow the Stars Home," was made in part by her daughter, Charlotte Braun, before she succumbed to pancreatic cancer in late July.
"It means a lot because it is her last quilt," Holtmeyer said, adding that people have commented on her precision in crafting it.
As Braun worked on the quilt, she adopted the quilt's name for her own mantra as she battled her illness.
Holtmeyer planned to bid whatever it took so she could keep her daughter's quilt. "I'm going to buy it. I don't care what it costs," she said.
In the meantime, she was glad to show it off to others who came to view the quilts.
"That's so cute. That's such a cute idea to do," Taylor Koelling said, as Holtmeyer showed the quilt to her and her sister, Adalyn. "I think it's really sentimental."
The quilts are a huge part of the picnic. The parish has about a dozen women who work year-round on the quilts. Last year, the quilt auction accounted for about $17,000 - about half of the proceeds for the event, said Janet Koetting, who was in charge of the picnic quilt committee this year.
One of the featured quilts this year was "All Shook Up," a quilt honoring Elvis Presley and made by Patti Tappel, with Judy Hoelscher providing the fabric.
The small parish was prepared to feed around 2,000 people, some eating there and some picking up to-go meals. For $12, visitors got a buffet-style meal of roast beef, fried chicken, mashed potatoes, corn, bread, green beans, slaw, cucumbers and onions, applesauce, tomatoes, and, of course, pie.
At about noon, the dining area was the most popular location, but the outside bingo game was packed as well. Other features included a country store, raffle area, beer stand, food/soda stand and some games of chance.
The picnic tradition started with the church, back in 1907, Deacon Fred Schmitz said.
"It's a parish working together, coming together and helping to have a good time together," he said. "I love it."