Billiken Club will be honored at Pioneer Picnic

The historic Billiken Club of La Conner, founded more than a century ago, will be recognized as one of four Spirit Award recipients at the 118th annual Pioneer Picnic on August 4.

As far as the Billiken Club is concerned, Janna Gage of Seaport Books, is the go-to person. She wrote the definitive history of the Billikens in a guest column for the Weekly News nearly three years ago.

At that time, Gage defined the term Billiken, which also serves as the mascot for St. Louis University athletic teams and is a constant source of local inquiry.

“The Billiken,” Gage explained, “is the God of Things-a...