The Crookston annual Thanksgiving Dinner saw its largest turnout in the 45-year event history.
The Dinner was hosted at the Crookston Cathedral of Immaculate Conception, where 479 people were served. Event Coordinator Lester Wilkins, “Last year we had 450 to go, and this year we had 479 in-house and to-go. We had a tremendous group of people working this year. I would like to thank Hugo’s for the product, the Golden Link for helping prepare it, and KROX for getting the word out.”
Wilkins also wanted to thank the many community members who volunteered to help with the event, as well as the financial supporters. Wilkins explained that without the support of the community, this event would not be able to take place. “Thank you to the people of Crookston for their support, and thank you to the people that came,” said Wilkens, “We enjoy doing this; we enjoy seeing your faces and the smiles we create when we do this. We don’t have a point if people don’t show up.”
As always, the dinner was buffet style on Thanksgiving day, and there were not many leftovers when it was finished. Wilkens explained that 150 pounds of potatoes were peeled and prepared, and by the end of the service, there was just a pale ice cream leftover of mashed potatoes. Fifteen turkeys were consumed as well, along with 400 pieces of pie.
Just over 350 people called in to pick up their Thanksgiving meals, and Wilkens spoke about how appreciative he and the staff are for calling in ahead of time so the meals can be prepared and distributed promptly. “350 called in and gave us a number (of plates), and we plan past that,” said Wilkens, “479 people are past what we expected, but that’s why it’s important to call in ahead of time, so if we get bigger numbers, we can add on with what we think we can use to make the difference. So if this happens again next year, we will have to throw in another turkey and probably 50 more pounds of potatoes, and that’s why we need to know in advance.”
In closing, Wilkens described this year’s event as a successful year and another growth year. He also explained that serving 500 or more community members could be in the works next year, and that he and staff will be prepared if that happens.
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