Barbara Lawlor, Nederland.  While the women served the turkey, mashed potatoes, stuffing and gravy, the guys were behind the scene, in the kitchen, preparing the Thanksgiving meal in the Nederland Community Center.

Nick Stone, Nate James and Ross Alper hefted heavy trays packed with mashed potatoes from the oven to the serving tables, and then brought back the empties and filled them with another load of legs, thighs and breasts from the 45 turkeys cooked by the community.

The guys were efficient and fast, feeding at least 1,000 people who partook of the free Community Thanksgiving Dinner on Sunday. It also helped that the basics had all been done the night before.

Instead of beginning the mashed potatoes, stuffing and gravy in the morning, a large group of volunteers showed up on Saturday night to peel, cut, boil, smash and simmer onions and celery and butter, stir the gravy made from drippings and broth. Volunteers helped with the prep and the setting up of the tables and chairs in the community center gym. The three cooks had a heat and go, smoothly run, kitchen machine up and running.

The dinner is a long-time tradition and although it evolves a bit each year, it is still based on the stuff that Thanksgiving is made up of.

Because most people associate Thanksgiving as a time for families, the community dinner began as a way to feed those who had no family around. It used to be held on the Sunday before Thanksgiving but many residents who had made travel plans missed out on the event. Pushing the dinner up a week has allowed more people to attend and has also allowed breathing room between the two turkey-oriented meals.

Last Sunday's dinner was an all-out success. Guests lined up holding their own plates, knives and forks and went through the lines, dishing up a bit of this and a taste of that until there was no more room on their plates. The Nederland Fire Protection District firefighters were on hand to spoon out their famous green chili.

The pot luck table offered bowls of salads, vegetable casseroles, squash cooked every way possible, pasta sides and vegan choices.

Desserts were served in the gym and people were relieved that there was enough pumpkin pie to go around, as well as apple dishes and cream pies and all kinds of chocolate-ness. Long time dessert queen Betty Ventrella made sure the pies were cut into slices and constantly replaced when they were finished.

Volunteers made sure the recycling bins were picked up and all the waste was properly organized. If there were any hitches in the logistics or organization, nobody was aware of it.

There was everything that everyone needed to make their Thanksgiving meal dream come true. (Published in the print edition of The Mountain-Ear on November 17, 2016.)