While most Grand Forks residents were gathering around the Christmas tree or spending time with loved ones Friday, Beth Davis and her family were hard at work serving meals and cleaning up tables in the school gymnasium at St. Michael's Catholic Church.
Hundreds of people attended the 38th annual Christmas Eve turkey dinner and party, a free event that included live music and plenty of food for whoever showed up.
Friday's dinner marked the seventh year that Davis, her husband and their two sons have helped out.
"It's just such a wonderful thing to see all the people come in that you know don't have someplace to go," she said.
Davis had no complaints about having to work, and said she couldn't think of anything she'd rather do on Christmas Eve.
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"It's become a family tradition," she said.
Vickie Mahnke said she enjoyed the "great, excellent" food -- especially the desserts. She said she had a few rolls of lefse and a couple of slices of pie, topping off a full turkey dinner complete with stuffing, corn, mashed potatoes and coleslaw.
Mahnke and her mother, Ione Kjelaas, took a few minutes out of their evening to get a picture with Santa "so that I can show my grandkids I still believe in Santa Claus."
She said she didn't have time to ask Santa for a last-minute Christmas present, but that was just fine with her.
"I don't even know what I'd ask him for," Mahnke said. "I think I have everything I need."
'So grateful'
JoAnn Brown was in charge of making this year's turkey dinner, and said it takes an astronomical amount of food to feed this many people. Cooks started working Thursday to roast 53 turkeys, each weighing about 20 pounds -- adding up to more than 1,000 pounds of meat for the dinner.
Brown got to work at 8 a.m. Friday, preparing 12 pans of potatoes, 18 pans of dressing, 21 gallons of gravy, 10 cases of corn and about 100 pounds of coleslaw.
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Cadence "Honey" Youngberg, one of the co-chairs of the event, said about 800 people showed up at last year's dinner and another 400 meals were delivered. She didn't have final numbers for this year, but she said the gym was packed with hungry people shortly after the doors opened and things were still busy as the event wrapped up at 6 p.m.
"Everybody's so grateful," she said. "It's a wonderful season."
Charlie Bremseth was one of about 300 volunteers who helped do everything it takes to make a turkey dinner for hundreds of people.
It was his first time helping out, and he said he was glad to see so many people enjoying the food and having a good Christmas Eve at the church. He also appreciated the food and the "cartloads of desserts," and said events like this show that Grand Forks "really is a caring community."
"It's kind of a special way that the community reaches out and touches people's hearts, and their tummies," Bremseth said.
Reach Johnson at (701) 780-1105; (800) 477-6572, ext. 105; or send e-mail to rjohnson@gfherald.com .
