St. John the Evangelist Catholic Church has its Fiesta and Oktoberfest each year.

The Lawrence Jewish Community has its annual Blintz Brunch, held last Sunday.

And Trinity Episcopal Church, 1011 Vt., has its own, signature community-outreach event and fund-raiser, the PloughmanâÂÂs Lunch, Bake Sale and Trinity Treasures Sale.

The PloughmanâÂÂs Lunch has become a tradition in Lawrence over the past 25 years, known for its hearty mid-day meal, as well as for the wealth of fine, holiday craft items, made by church members, that are available for sale.

âÂÂItâÂÂs a ball,â said Judy Greer Davis, who works in programming and evangelism ministry at Trinity Episcopal. âÂÂEverybody has such a good time. Of course, the food is wonderful and the conviviality, too. Everybody at the church really enjoys working on this, and that atmosphere spills over into all those who attend.âÂÂ

The PloughmanâÂÂs Lunch will be from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Thursday in the churchâÂÂs parish hall. Proceeds from the event will benefit Douglas County service agencies and charities.

Last year, almost 500 people turned out for the event, and many would argue the food is the main attraction.

In recent years, the menu has featured bowls of homemade white chicken chili and French onion soup; hunks of French bread from Wheatfields Bakery, 904 Vt.; apple pie and thick wedges of cheddar cheese, plus coffee. This year, planners have added a choice of broccoli cheese soup to the meal, which costs $6 per person.

âÂÂItâÂÂs not an extensive menu, but itâÂÂs hearty. It becomes a social event. I live in Brandon Woods, and I know that there is a bus load of people coming down. You just say âÂÂ’PloughmanâÂÂs Lunch,â and everybody knows itâÂÂs Trinity Episcopal Church,â event chairwoman Jeannot Seymour said.

Then thereâÂÂs the bake sale, featuring plenty of homemade pies, cakes and other desserts. Participants can also buy packages of wild rice brought in from Minnesota; a selection of homemade mustards made from old family recipes; and coffee beans from Venezuela.

Members of the church work throughout the year to produce a large variety of handmade craft items, such as table runners and angel decorations, for the Trinity Treasures Sale. A tulip quilt by Lawrence artist Gerry Miller also will be raffled off.

One addition to this yearâÂÂs event is the sale of a new cookbook, âÂÂA Trinity Treasure,â featuring nearly 300 recipes contributed by parishioners, their families and friends. The loose-leaf cookbook, which costs $20 per copy, will be on sale during the PloughmanâÂÂs Lunch. Volunteers have been working on it for several years.

Seymour, who worked as a graphic designer at Kansas University for 35 years, designed the cover and the pages that divide the cookbook into different sections.

âÂÂThe division pages are reproduced turn-of-the-century pieces of sheet music and postcards and things that were my grandmotherâÂÂs, my motherâÂÂs and mine. NobodyâÂÂs seen anything like this; itâÂÂs all stuff that was picked up in the 1920s,â she said.

SeymourâÂÂs grandmother and mother both attended Trinity Episcopal. Seymour and her husband, Todd Seymour, have been parishioners for many years.

Going to the PloughmanâÂÂs Lunch is a way to enjoy a good, hearty meal with friends, as well as help the community, Jeannot Seymour said.

âÂÂItâÂÂs a fun event, and it supports Lawrence, which is very important these days,â she said.