Sandy Dusel works on a 500-piece puzzle with her team, Barely Holding It Together, during the Puzzle Palooza competition at The Lodge at Ironwoods on Sunday, Nov. 3, 2024, in Leawood.
Emily Curiel
ecuriel@kcstar.com
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How long does it take you to put together a 500-piece jigsaw puzzle?
For some of us it’s a days-long or weeks-long process if we’re like most people who casually scan for and place pieces as a way to pass the time.
That’s not the case for these puzzle enthusiasts who put their puzzle building skills to the test at Puzzle Palooza, a team puzzle race of sorts held recently at The Lodge at Ironwoods in Leawood.
The goal for these pronto puzzle builders is to put together their 500-piece puzzles as quickly as they can. The Leawood competition limited the teams to two hours to complete their puzzles.
The puzzle building competition is done with teams of four puzzle builders working together to see how quickly they can complete their puzzle. To make the competition fair, each team is issued identical puzzles.
There was prize money to be won at the Leawood competition which was sponsored by the City of Leawood Parks and Recreation Department. A team called the KC Master Piecers were the first to complete their puzzle and took home the $150 cash prize.
See photos of the competition to see who has the fastest puzzle building team.
The Lodge at Ironwoods in Leawood. Emily Curiel ecuriel@kcstar.com
Puzzle enthusiasts gather at The Lodge at Ironwoods for the Puzzle Palooza competition in Leawood. Emily Curiel ecuriel@kcstar.com
Ten-year-old Elliott Astill works on a 500-piece puzzle with his team, Give Piece A Chance, during the Puzzle Palooza competition at The Lodge at Ironwoods. Emily Curiel ecuriel@kcstar.com
Puzzle enthusiasts gather at The Lodge at Ironwoods for the Puzzle Palooza competition in Leawood. Emily Curiel ecuriel@kcstar.com
A team member from Miss Fits compares puzzle pieces to the reference image on the box while working with their team to complete a 500-piece puzzle during the Puzzle Palooza competition. Emily Curiel ecuriel@kcstar.com
The Girls puzzle team works on completing a 500-piece puzzle during the Puzzle Palooza competition. Emily Curiel ecuriel@kcstar.com
Wicker Kittens team members work together their puzzle during the Puzzle Palooza competition. Emily Curiel ecuriel@kcstar.com
We Come in Pieces sports a themed puzzle shirt during the Puzzle Palooza competition at The Lodge at Ironwoods. Emily Curiel ecuriel@kcstar.com
Amanda Hellburg, center, works on a 500-piece puzzle with her team, Wicker Kittens, during the Puzzle Palooza competition. Emily Curiel ecuriel@kcstar.com
A team member from We Come in Pieces nears completion of the 500-piece puzzle during the Puzzle Palooza competition . Emily Curiel ecuriel@kcstar.com
KC Master Piecers team members celebrate after finishing first in the Puzzle Palooza competition. The first-place team received a $150 cash prize. Emily Curiel ecuriel@kcstar.com
This story was originally published November 17, 2024 at 5:00 AM.
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Emily Curiel, is a visual journalist at The Star. With a broad scope of coverage, Curiel navigates subjects including breaking news, sports, features and long-form narratives. She is a first-generation graduate from San Francisco State University and a native of Los Angeles.
