‘It brings everyone together’

Adriana Aispuro, 3, enjoys Thanksgiving with her family at the Del Norte County Fairgrounds Thursday afternoon. The Daily Triplicate/Bryant Anderson

The annual Crescent City Thanksgiving dinner started at noon Thursday and brought smiles to the faces of attendees and volunteers alike.

Volunteer Elli Kimbauer, a local psychologist who was buried in the dish pit, felt that the spirit of giving thanks was in full swing.

“It’s so awesome to be part of the community,” Kimbauer said. “I really feel that we are giving thanks to everyone else, and receiving it at the same time.”

The meal kicked off with a Thanksgiving blessing by volunteer John Pritchett of Del Norte Ambulance.

The assembled volunteers stood in white aprons, hands behind their backs, as the crowd of hungry people quietly bowed their heads.

An attendee receives a helping of sweet potatoes from a volunteer during the annual community Thanksgiving dinner. The Daily Triplicate/Bryant Anderson

This was Crescent City resident Lester Cramer’s second year, and as he was standing in line waiting to load up a plate he couldn’t keep a smile off his face.

“It brings everyone together,” Cramer said. “They really put a good feast on, so good that I’m going to help out next year.”

Cramer wasn’t alone in his appreciation of the food.

“The food is just so wonderful,” said Grant’s mother Betty. “It really is a community event. It left us so moved and touched the first time that we just had to come back.”

The meal, held at the Del Norte County Fairgrounds, was free to everyone and included turkey, green beans, dressing, yams, marshmallows, gravy, rolls, mashed potatoes and a variety of desserts.

Local officials like District Attorney Mike Riese and Harbor Commissioner James Ramsey were either dishing up turkey or circulating through the crowd in white aprons distributing coffee, and they all had a smile on their face.

Organizers Teri Sandler and Bev Young have been putting the Thanksgiving meal on for nearly 20 years.

“I quit counting after 15,” Sandler said laughing. “It’s really become a smooth operation.”

Young attributes the smoothness to their volunteers.

“Many of them keep coming back each year,” Young said. “They’re really experts at this point.”

Both Young and Sandler agree that it’s important to build community, and feel that the local Thanksgiving feast is a great opportunity for bringing people together.

“Everything here was donated and cooked by the community,” Sandler said. “It really is a labor of love.”

“To live in an awesome community you have to be part of it, you have to work to make it a community.”