Michayla Mikesic feeds her mom Donna Mikesic, while Donna’s granddaughter Shaylee looks on, and Michayla’s daughter Eliana is kept hemmed in between them. All are parishioners of Sacred Heart in Tonganoxie but also attend Mass and gatherings at St. John. LEAVEN PHOTO BY JAY SOLDNER
Hundreds of people gathered on the parish grounds of St. John the Baptist Church on Strawberry Hill in Kansas City, Kansas, to celebrate the 2024 Croatian festival on Aug. 17.
Father Peter Jaramillo, SSA, former pastor at St. John the Baptist, joins, from left, Donald Taylor, Goran Dordevic and Mario Viskovic and the rest of the Hrvatski Običaj Tamburasi in entertaining the crowd at the Croatian festival. LEAVEN PHOTO BY JAY SOLDNER
The annual festival of the national parish featured food, music, dancing and raffle prizes — all with a Croatian flair.
Hadley Shelton tries her luck at the ring toss in the hopes of winning a top prize. St. John the Baptist’s Croatian festival offered a little something for all ages. LEAVEN PHOTO BY JAY SOLDNER
