NEDERLAND - The preparations for the 2024 Nederland Thanksgiving Potluck have already begun, as this tradition since the early ’90s returns on Sunday, November 17, 2024, to once again remind us all of the amazing community that we live in.  

Local sponsors have already begun to donate food, which in the past has amounted to nearly 50 turkeys, prepared by community volunteers, and enough of the popular vegetable to make over 200 pounds of that favorite side dish, mashed potatoes.  

Volunteers from events past have already begun signing up for this year, ready to help peel potatoes (the day before the event, Saturday, November 16 at the Nederland Community Center), or to help in the kitchen and to help serve a classic Thanksgiving meal. 

“Gotta give a shout out to the people that return every year,” kitchen coordinator Nate James told The Mountain-Ear. “We have volunteers already signed up to cook turkeys; it’s nice to see younger faces starting to volunteer too.” 

James is one member of Team Turkey, who, along with Danielle Knollenburg, and Michelle LaPointe, as well as Natalie Duplessy, Dan Pollock, and Isabel Szucs, are the organizers responsible for carrying on this community-favorite tradition. 

If you would like to sign up to volunteer for this event please go to: https://nedthanksgiving.wixsite.com/community/volunteer-1.

But the amazing meal prepared by James and Team Turkey volunteers won’t be the only food on the table, as anyone from across the Peak to Peak region is welcome to prepare and bring their own traditional dishes. 

The creativity, skill, and passion put into these dishes often results in the most memorable experience, especially when sharing that experience in a room full of old friends, as well as new friends in the making. 

“I love going out there and browsing the table, grabbing what I want and running back to the kitchen,” James said about the potluck table, which is where attendees can find returning favorites that are famous among the community, like green bean casserole and Spanakopita.

“There was one year I grabbed a bacon- wrapped date when half the kitchen saw me eating it they all ran out and cleared the rest off the plate,” James reminisces. 

In addition to the potluck table, the Nederland Fire Protection District will be serving up some firefighter's chili, and Wild Bear Nature Center will be hosting activities for kids.

And to help set the mood as community members sit, talk, and laugh together, Nederland musician and entertainment coordinator for the event Emmet Griffin will be providing musical accompaniment along with some friends, including Sarah Banker, and Brittney Wagner of New Family Dog.  

The Thanksgiving Potluck is a free event open to all, with a suggested donation of $5 per person. The organizers ask attendees to bring their own dishes to help make the potluck a “zero waste” event.

This year’s event is sponsored by Ace Hardware, B&F Mountain Market, Backcountry Pizza, Boogie Records, Busey Brews, Catalyze, Crosscut Pizza, Knotted Root, The Mountain-Ear, Mountain Goat Tees, Mountain Maids, Mountain Man Outdoor Store, Mountain Peoples Co-op, Nature’s Own, Nederland Fire Protection District, Nederland Food Pantry, Nederland Community Presbyterian Church, New Moon Bakery, P2P Healthy Communities, Peak Wine and Spirits, Train Cars Coffee & Kava, Tres Gringos, Wild Bear Nature Center, Zack Scott of Homestead Realty, and community member Mark Stringfellow, among others.

The Nederland Thanksgiving Potluck has been a tradition since before 1994, and returned last year after a two-year hiatus. This year the event will continue the tradition of serving a meal “provided by the community for the community,” and will be held at the Nederland Community Center at 750 North Highway 72 on Sunday, November 17, 2024, from 12 to 3 p.m. 

For more information go to: https://nedthanksgiving.wixsite.com/community.