Christmas Tradition Carries On

For the 32nd time, cars will begin lining up at the Blaine County Fairgrounds on Christmas Day around noon.

They will be there for the traditional holiday meal, presented by a bevy of volunteers who coordinate each December to provide the feast free of charge.

According to Kim Pinkerton, coordination is key to pulling off the event, which last year fed about 925 folks.

Pinkerton and her husband Mark, who run Mark’s Service Center, and Jacky and June Morris of Jacky’s Lawn and Lube/The Plant Place, took roles in the Christmas dinner years ago when the program was in need of leadership due to retirement of its former headman. “We decided we wanted to keep it going,” she said.

But Pinkerton was quick to point out they don’t do anything alone.

“It’s a group effort. It’s not just us. There are so many volunteers and many, many others,” she said.

Those volunteers include members of the FFA who come out and help take all the bones out of the turkey and Dennis Espy and his cooking crew who roast the 55 birds.

And the meal doesn’t end with turkey. There is also ham, mashed potatoes, dressing, gravy, rolls and dessert. That dessert will be either pecan pie, pumpkin pie or cobbler.

Everything is pur-chased locally at Doc’s, commonly referred to as Apple Market. That business orders the birds as well as the hams, then slices the hams. They also make the dressing and provide pies and cobblers.

Prior to the pandemic, the meal was either eat in at the Foley Building, take out or delivery. Like so much else in our world, 2020 changed all that and today the holiday meal is drive through only.

Pinkerton said they have the drive through down to a science. Cars line up at the gate and when they open at noon, each vehicle is given a card that shows how many meals are required. Inside, boxes are already prepared, sorted by number. This row might hold boxes with 10 meals, that one boxes of four meals.

Volunteers then take the appropriate number of meals to the vehicles. The cars are ushered through three abreast. Once served, the circle the building and exit.

Although the meal is free of charge, donations are accepted either at Bank7 or in person at pickup.

Volunteers are always welcome and needed. Pinkerton said there is no need to sign up, just come out to the fairgrounds and get put to work.

The gates for the meal will open at noon Christmas Day and meals will be served until the food runs out.