Nearly 1,000 residents from across the Peak to Peak gathered at the Nederland Community Center to enjoy the biggest communal event of the season. The 2023 Community Thanksgiving Potluck featured a meal of 40 turkeys, over 200 pounds of mashed potatoes, over 300 dinner rolls, immeasurable gallons of gravy, and not just all the pie, pastries, and cookies you can eat, but also a table-full of unique dishes made with love by members of the community.

“I managed to get some of the spanakopita,” kitchen coordinator Nate James told The Mountain-Ear about his favorite feature of the event, the potluck table, and about his favorite potluck dish that returns year after year. “It was gone as soon as the plate hit the table,” James remarked.

James has been running the kitchen and organizing the event with volunteer coordinator Michelle LaPointe and event coordinator Danielle Knollenburg since 2017; the event itself has been a tradition since before 1994.

As in years past, the Community Thanksgiving Potluck was completely free, with a suggested donation of $5 being accepted to help pay for the cost of the event, same as the proceeds from the sale of raffle tickets, which gave attendees the chance to win rides on the Carousel of Happiness. The potluck was made possible by the hard work of the organizers, the dedication of volunteers, and the support and sponsorship of local businesses.

Volunteers gathered on the Saturday before the event to help carve turkeys, peel potatoes, and decorate tables. Even more volunteers participated on Sunday, serving up all the Thanksgiving favorites, including a generous pouring of gravy, and working hard in the kitchen, preparing more food and scrubbing endless amounts of dishes.

“We had more volunteers this year than in previous years, and a surprising amount of people who volunteered for kitchen duty,” LaPointe said as she took a moment during the event to appreciate how smooth it all was running. “They really make this whole thing a success.”

LaPointe remarked that no matter how many years that she has helped to run the event, she is always amazed by the community’s commitment and enthusiasm towards volunteering and collaborating.

Many local businesses helped to support the 2023 Community Thanksgiving Potluck by providing food and beverages, sponsoring the event, and also offering their own equipment and services.

Ace Hardware, B&F Mountain Market, Peak Wine and Spirits, Zack Scott Homestead Realty, and Mark Stringfellow helped to provide the turkeys and Nederland Community Presbyterian Church donated over 300 rolls. Other sponsors include The Mountain-Ear, Mountain Peoples Co-op, Crosscut Pizza, Nederland Food Pantry, Mountain Maids, Wild Bear Nature Center, Whiskey Bit(hes, Busey Brews, Brightwood Music, New Moon Bakery, Train Cars Coffee and Kava, Peak to Peak Healthy Communities, and the Coal Creek Food Bank.

In addition to the delicious food and great conversations to be shared with fellow neighbors and new friends, Wild Bear Nature Center provided fun arts and crafts for the kids, and local musicians Otis Lande, Emmet Griffin, Jules Green, and Steven Blask played brilliant bluegrass and classic rock to entertain throughout the three hour event.

The Community Thanksgiving Potluck is a highlight of the season as it gives members of the Peak to Peak community the opportunity to celebrate one another; to not just show off their recipes (though that is a benefit), but to get reacquainted with those they might not have seen since the leaf-peepers rolled through, or to maybe even get acquainted with new friends and neighbors.