Plenty pitch in at annual T-Day holiday dinner
Journal file photo Turkey and all the trimmings served at Community Dinner.
By Steve Wehrly
Journal reporter
Fourteen years ago, Kerwin Johnson and friends thought an oldfashioned community thanksgiving dinner would be fun. They were right about
the fun, but didn’t figure that it would grow to require a crew of 30 to peel, cook and mash 150 pounds
of potatoes, bake and carve 28 turkeys and serve 400 people with a free full meal deal, including homemade
pie for dessert. Johnson continues to underwrite some of the cost (along with King’s Market, which donates the turkeys), and tireless organizer Minnie Knych remains enthusiastic about producing the Thanksgiving Day feast. “It gives me a warm glow to see as many as four generations from some
families, especially the youngsters and the seniors having such a nice time talking and interacting with each other,” she said. Knych needs about 10 more volunteers to cook turkeys and as many as 25 more pie bakers. She notes the turkeys are “oven ready” in cooking bags and baking pans to be picked up Wednesday afternoon, and she “welcomes any and all pies whether the baker calls in advance or not.” She
would welcome a call at 378-7040. Virtually all local service groups either kick in funds or provide volunteers, or both, to the annual event, which starts at noon and ends at 5 p.m. at the Grange Hall on N. First Street. Girl Scouts, Boy Scouts, 4-H youths and high school “Leo” members show their community spirit by pitching in to help, including doing the dishes without complaint.
8th annual Turkey Trot Here is a perfect way to work up an appetite before sitting down for Thanksgiving dinner, and to help people and pets in need as well. The 8th annual Turkey Trot, a 5K (3.1 mile) run, walk, trot or crawl, is Thanksgiving morning, at 9 a.m. Register the day of the Trot beginning at 8 a.m. at the Best Western Friday Harbor Suites, location of the start and finish, come rain or shine… or snow (like in 2010). Registration fee is $5 for adults, plus two cans of food (either for pets or people), and $2 for children under 12, plus two cans of food. Proceeds and foodstuffs benefit the Friday Harbor Food Bank and the Friday Harbor Animal Protection Society.
Give of Creativity! Creativity! Givethe the Gift Gift of Journal file photo Snow greeted participants of the 2010 Turkey Trot
The annual Turkey Trot is sponsored by Island Athletic Events, with assistance of Kings Market, Best Western and San Juan Island Fitness. For more information, 378-4449.
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