If one were keeping count, it would be possible to attend, not one, but five community Thanksgivings dinners this year.<\/p>\n
A large number of community and church organizations have stepped forward this year to provide meals with turkey and all the fixings.<\/p>\n
The first Community Thanksgiving Dinner will be Saturday, Nov. 22 at 1 p.m. at the Victory World Outreach Church, 11088 U.S. 491.<\/p>\n
Pastor Jonathan Bland said the church has put on dinners before, but this is the first time it has been on a Saturday and the first time they have had a big push to get the community to attend. They handed out 3,000 fliers for the dinner.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe are going to try to make it an annual event,\u201d Bland said.<\/p>\n
Ten turkeys and hams will be prepared, along with the fixings and desserts.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe holidays can be a lonely time for a lot of people, so we just want to reach out and bring people together,\u201d Bland said. \u201cIt\u2019s open to anybody and everybody.\u201d<\/p>\n
Bland said the church members are excited and plan on sharing stories.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think people will feel better when they leave,\u201d Bland said.<\/p>\n
Information: 759-5519<\/p>\n
On Sunday, head up to Rico for a community Thanksgiving dinner in Rico Town Hall. Rico Community Church is providing meat, stuffing, gravy, rolls and potatoes and drinks and it starts at 12:30.<\/p>\n
Also on Sunday, the Summit Lake dinner will be at the Summit Lake Community Church at 5:30 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 23. Turkey and trimmings will be provided, bring a side dish or dessert to share at 36501 Colorado 184 across from Summit Lake.<\/p>\n
Scott Christensen, pastor at Summit Lake Community Church, said the church has been putting on the dinner for 7 or 8 years.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s a way for us to reach out to community,\u201d Christensen said. \u201cIt\u2019s a lot of fun to get to know people in the community.\u201d<\/p>\n
Information: 882-4144.<\/p>\n
On Thanksgiving Day in Cortez, don\u2019t miss the dinner at 110 W. North St. at the Episcopal Church at 11:30 and noon.<\/p>\n
The church will offer two seatings for the meal and usually serves about 100 people and has been doing so for nearly 20 years.<\/p>\n
Volunteers come from all over to help.<\/p>\n
Information: 565-7865.<\/p>\n
Also on Thanksgiving Day, don\u2019t miss the dinner at the P&D Grocery. For about a dozen years, Pete Loyd and Rob Kirks, owners of P&D Grocery Store in Mancos, have hosted one big feast.<\/p>\n
This year, the dinner will be offered at the P&D from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Thanksgiving Day.<\/p>\n
\u201cEveryone is welcome,\u201d Loyd said.<\/p>\n
To prepare for the event, Loyd plans to cook 16 25-pound turkeys. He\u2019ll also prepare ham, mashed potatoes, gravy, green bean casseroles and pies \u2013 most likely pumpkin and pecan.<\/p>\n
Loyd said they typically serve about 300 people each year.<\/p>\n
\u201cMostly community members stop in. But we get people sometimes off of the street just passing through,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
People from Cortez and Durango even head up for the free meal.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe get everybody,\u201d he said. \u201cWe started just because so many people didn\u2019t have a place to go, so we thought we would do it as a Thanksgiving for our customers.\u201d<\/p>\n
The only requirement is they have to sign a guest book, Loyd said.<\/p>\n
P&D Grocery has been open for 39 years, but Loyd can\u2019t say for sure how many years he\u2019s served the dinner. \u201cI think 12, maybe 13 years. I\u2019m not sure.\u201d<\/p>\n
The store is at 280 U.S. 160 West Frontage Road, Mancos.<\/p>\n
Information: 533-7932.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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