Annual Parish Picnic ....wet and wild! Sunday, May 20th, 2001

Pat Ryan Greene a mother of six, retired writer/editor and a member of St. Joan's almost since she and her family moved to Minneapolis in 1968.

Though the weather outside was frightful, the atmosphere inside St. Joan’s gym was warm and wild with the band playing “Everything’s Gonna’ Be All Right.” As the clouds dispensed their downpour, Rosie Rogers and her crew converted the parking lot picnic to an indoor gala for 600.

The burger-and-brat cooks with the blood-shot eyes battled smoke from the grill under an awning outside. Farmer Rick Klehr and his animals were inside where they could be seen and gently stroked. The twin goats, rabbits and chickens were the closest to a farm the Bauman kids had been.

Two Astro jumps provided by Lowell Helgason, were high enough to touch the gym ceiling and boasted constant lines of children waiting for jumping time on their trampolines. Others with lovely butterflies painted on their faces sat on the floor with balloons twisted into animals and watched the amazing tricks of the magician and the juggler Brian Richards.

Cyril Paul, in parrot headgear, and his band had at least three generations gyrating as singles or in groups of two or three. Nothing like the parish picnic to gather your own family and to catch up with friends you haven’t seen in a while because they attend the “other” liturgy or to meet those who have just “found” St. Joan’s

And under a huge umbrella in the pouring rain, Rick Spaulding snapped photos as picnickers raced out the door to their cars for the drive home.

Rick Spaulding and Lisa Leo took more photos. See them below.

Rick Spaulding is a photographer specializing in digital photography for the theater and works for National Camera Exchange. He is also an antique dealer and eBay afficianado who enjoys collecting marbles but his true joys in life are his two boys and his beautiful wife, Tinia.

Lisa Leo is a video photographer for the PioneerPress who lives in St. Paul.