Where's Thanksgiving Dinner!?!

WHAT!?!

No annual Turkey Dinner at Sallisaw’s First United Methodist Church!?!

That information disrupted my day totally. I was in a tizzy! What to do? What to do?

It was panic-attack time. The holidays do not officially arrive until Sallisaw’s First United Methodist Church holds its annual Thanksgiving Dinner. I’ve lived here 35 years and have had 35 First United Methodist Church turkey dinners.

In fact, I owe the church one fork. I don’t know how it happened, but somehow, one year, I got away with a Methodist fork. It’s been in my pickup truck for years. I have good intentions of giving it back some day.

When informed by the First United Methodist Church secretary via phone that there would be no turkey dinner, I think I screamed but the nice lady quickly informed me, “It’s OK. The ladies at First Assembly have taken over the dinner.”

A call to First Assembly nearly caused another panic.

“WHAT?” the church secretary responded. I think I scared her. I think she immediately envisioned herself having to roast 200 turkeys and whip up a whole lot of pumpkin pies. “No. No. No,” she told me.

But then where was Sallisaw’s community turkey dinner? Daughter already had tickets, she just didn’t tell me where it was.

First Assembly secretary called me back. I have discovered a new technique. If you need an answer to a question, scare the subject to whom you have posed the question. They will find the answer very quickly.

“The dinner is at Oakridge Assembly,” she told me.

At last, my quest for a turkey dinner had reached its goal. I called the church, and took photos of the ladies cooking, and I just finished eating there. (I need a nap!) It was delicious.

But the United Methodist Women (UMW) surrendering their Thanksgiving aprons still puzzled me. I called Anne Bottorff of the UMW at Sallisaw’s First United Methodist Church.

“We hated giving it up,” she said. “We truly did. It was a heart-rending thing but there comes a time when you just have to quit.”

For 43 years, the UMW ladies have been cooking Sallisaw’s community Thanksgiving dinner. The money raised went to their many missions and projects.

“We truly struggled with the decision,” Anne explained “but we're aging, we’ve lost some people, and the high number of meals was overwhelming. The cleanup was horrendous and the recuperation was, well, long.”

I countered, “It was a tradition!”

“Yes,” Anne said. “That’s the funny part. It is a community tradition.”

But, she concluded with, “I’m tired.”

OK. I get it. I understand. Even after cooking my own family’s Thanksgiving dinner for some 40 or so years, I had the same reaction. I told them, “I’m tired,” and I handed the dinner over to Darling Daughter, who has spent the last week planning that family Thanksgiving dinner. Thank goodness for those we can hand over the traditions too.

And thank you to the ladies of the UMW for 43 years of good eating and friendship. I promise I’ll bring the fork back, some day.