Formed in Maplewood in 1905, the Fats and Leans were a charitable organization that raised money with a very popular softball game held once a year. their goal was to feed their hungry neighbors and they were very successful. The first game netted $3000, a considerable sum today, even more remarkable in 1905.
On this Thanksgiving like most of the ones in the past the biggest problem I’ll face will be how to get a teetering pile of food from the kitchen to the dining room table. Food, family and friends make this one of my favorite times of the year. While we’re enjoying a food and shopping frenzy I’d like to suggest that we take a little time and money to help some of those in our own community who are much less fortunate than us.
The folks at the Maplewood-Richmond Heights School District have created a program called Weekends On Wheels (WOW). I wrote a blog post earlier this year about an admirable group of students operating a lemonade stand to benefit WOW.
Sadly there are children attending school in our district who do not have enough to eat on the weekends. WOW is a program designed to not only teach them to prepare and eat healthy food but also to provide them with the food. The title “Weekend On Wheels” comes from the rolling suitcases packed with food that needy students are given to take home for themselves and their families on Fridays. You can find more details on the Maplewood-Richmond Heights School District website under Programs.
When I told my family the WOW story they wanted to contribute. I’ll be dropping a check off at the high school soon. I urge you to do the same.
Have a happy and safe Thanksgiving.
Formed in Maplewood in 1905, the Fats and Leans were a charitable organization that raised money with a very popular softball game held once a year. Their goal was to feed their hungry neighbors and they were very successful. The first game netted $3000, a considerable sum today, even more remarkable in 1905.In addition to door-to-door soliciting for canned foods and money, a rabbit hunt was another method they used to feed their neighbors. They cooked the food at the firehouse and then delivered it to shut-ins and needy folks. This photo is from 1933 at the height of the depression.Apparently ‘possum was another choice on the menu in this photo from 1930.I will have more on the Fats and Leans in an upcoming post. Much thanks to Alan Brockschmitt for allowing me to copy the photos and tickets.This excerpt from the 1901 Plat Book of St. Louis county shows the intersection of Manchester and Belleview. It is not clear exactly where the Fats and Leans were playing as indicated by the 1915 ticket above. It may have been just beyond the Maplewood border which is not detailed on this map.
16 COMMENTS
Thanks for the info on the Fats and Leans. It’s touching to see people from all periods looking out for the less fortunate among us. I’m so glad you do this blog. Keep up the good work.
Margaret
Will do. Thanks, Margaret.
The Fats and Leans was an aging organization when my husband became involved in the late 1970″s. There were a few younger members, as a result of their fathers being longtime members. I remember my husband meeting at their meeting place which was a tiny house on the east side of Bredell, about a block north of Manchester. Even as they “aged”, they still did a lot of good in the community, and were well respected for the work they did. I also remember them sponsoring the fall “Turkey Shoots” as did the Lions Club (I think).
Thanks, Pam. I remember the house you mention. Someone told me that the members threw some of those rabbits up on the roof to store them for awhile. I’m assuming the temperature must have been below freezing in order for that to work.
Apparently The Fats and Leans came to and end at some point. Do you know what year and why? Any chance there is a group of folks would likely revive it, with that name? There are a lot of deer hunters these days, so maybe they would pose for a similar photo and then share.
The Fats and Leans were active in the mid to late 1970’s. I can recall them having a benefit barbecue on the Wedge before Church’s Fried Chicken was built. Alan Brockschmitt was the keeper of the memorabilia in 2008 when I put together our centennial book. I think interest waned in the softball game and the members mostly grew old and weren’t replaced. I don’t know the date of the last softball game but I’d like to.
And thanks, Doug, for passing the info to all of us on WOW – so glad to hear about it and hope to support it. Happy Thanksgiving!
WOW is definitely worth supporting. Thanks, Wanda.
Hi Doug – the book Kennedy Music has a chapter mentioning a Fats and Leans game in the early 1950’s. By then, the game was held in back of the old junior high school (ryan hummert park).
I have some earlier photos of the Fats and Leans games that were held on the site of what was first the high school, then the junior high and is now Ryan Hummert park. I’ll post them in an upcoming blog. that may be the location where the first photo in this post was taken.
There was a ball park at Bellevue and Manchester? Which corner? I would love to know more about that!
That ticket is the only bit of evidence I’ve ever seen that there was one. I checked the 1909 map and it’s not easy to tell if a ball field was near that intersection. Interestingly the street name is spelled “Belleview” on both the map and the ticket. I’ll try and add that section of the map to this post. If it doesn’t appear above, I did something wrong.
Thanks, Doug. It certainly is interesting to see what was there before the apartment building I live in was built.
My pleasure. I’ll have to make a trip to the reference room at the Headquarters branch of the St. Louis County library on Lindbergh. They have a copy of the Plat book that the map is from. I’d like to photograph the pages showing the areas that bordered Maplywood in 1909. Perhaps one of them shows the ball field.
We see so many rabbits around, and I often joke about taking two or three for supper. Obviously the same thought has occurred to other folks over the years. Thanks, Doug, for that locally sourced history.
You’re welcome, Tom. From what I see on my block, you could probably have a couple for dinner every day and it would be quite awhile before anyone noticed them missing. It is interesting that this food source is still available and no one (that I know anyway) would ever consider taking advantage of it. Times change.
Thanks for the info on the Fats and Leans. It’s touching to see people from all periods looking out for the less fortunate among us. I’m so glad you do this blog. Keep up the good work.
Margaret
Will do. Thanks, Margaret.
The Fats and Leans was an aging organization when my husband became involved in the late 1970″s. There were a few younger members, as a result of their fathers being longtime members. I remember my husband meeting at their meeting place which was a tiny house on the east side of Bredell, about a block north of Manchester. Even as they “aged”, they still did a lot of good in the community, and were well respected for the work they did. I also remember them sponsoring the fall “Turkey Shoots” as did the Lions Club (I think).
Thanks, Pam. I remember the house you mention. Someone told me that the members threw some of those rabbits up on the roof to store them for awhile. I’m assuming the temperature must have been below freezing in order for that to work.
Apparently The Fats and Leans came to and end at some point. Do you know what year and why? Any chance there is a group of folks would likely revive it, with that name? There are a lot of deer hunters these days, so maybe they would pose for a similar photo and then share.
The Fats and Leans were active in the mid to late 1970’s. I can recall them having a benefit barbecue on the Wedge before Church’s Fried Chicken was built. Alan Brockschmitt was the keeper of the memorabilia in 2008 when I put together our centennial book. I think interest waned in the softball game and the members mostly grew old and weren’t replaced. I don’t know the date of the last softball game but I’d like to.
And thanks, Doug, for passing the info to all of us on WOW – so glad to hear about it and hope to support it. Happy Thanksgiving!
WOW is definitely worth supporting. Thanks, Wanda.
Hi Doug – the book Kennedy Music has a chapter mentioning a Fats and Leans game in the early 1950’s. By then, the game was held in back of the old junior high school (ryan hummert park).
I have some earlier photos of the Fats and Leans games that were held on the site of what was first the high school, then the junior high and is now Ryan Hummert park. I’ll post them in an upcoming blog. that may be the location where the first photo in this post was taken.
There was a ball park at Bellevue and Manchester? Which corner? I would love to know more about that!
That ticket is the only bit of evidence I’ve ever seen that there was one. I checked the 1909 map and it’s not easy to tell if a ball field was near that intersection. Interestingly the street name is spelled “Belleview” on both the map and the ticket. I’ll try and add that section of the map to this post. If it doesn’t appear above, I did something wrong.
Thanks, Doug. It certainly is interesting to see what was there before the apartment building I live in was built.
My pleasure. I’ll have to make a trip to the reference room at the Headquarters branch of the St. Louis County library on Lindbergh. They have a copy of the Plat book that the map is from. I’d like to photograph the pages showing the areas that bordered Maplywood in 1909. Perhaps one of them shows the ball field.
We see so many rabbits around, and I often joke about taking two or three for supper. Obviously the same thought has occurred to other folks over the years. Thanks, Doug, for that locally sourced history.
You’re welcome, Tom. From what I see on my block, you could probably have a couple for dinner every day and it would be quite awhile before anyone noticed them missing. It is interesting that this food source is still available and no one (that I know anyway) would ever consider taking advantage of it. Times change.
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