Christmas Friendship Dinner dazzles, serves thousands

WASILLA — What does a man do after traveling the world in a night and delivering billions of gifts?

For the past 21 years, he spends some time winding down at the Christmas Friendship Dinner in Wasilla. This year, Santa Claus was joined by about 3,400 of his closest friends at the Curtis D. Menard Memorial Sports Center, a record turnout to begin the dinner’s third decade. Volunteers served up all the holiday food 2,850 visitors could eat in 2011, making this year’s record turnout a healthy 19 percent jump from last year.

“I’m always so totally amazed at the conglomeration of different ages, ethnic groups, status groups who normally wouldn’t have a meal with (each other),” said longtime organizer Elsie O’Bryan. “For many folks, it’s become a tradition of where they have Christmas, and I don’t think anyone left hungry.”

With 104 turkeys, 500 pounds of ham, 500 pounds of prime rib, 700 pounds of potatoes, 450 pounds of carrots and hundreds of donated deserts, it’s no wonder the dinner has grown into a mass community celebration over the past 21 years.

Although the dinner now is a year-round effort that takes some 500 to 1,000 volunteers to plan and carry out, it began as a simple idea from former Wasilla mayor Harold Newcomb. He had received a few donated turkeys and partnered with local restaurateur Bob Bowers to cook them up and serve them at the Wasilla Senior Center. They fed 90 people that first year.

The Christmas Friendship Dinner quickly outgrew the senior center and moved into Wasilla High School. When the event outgrew the high school, it moved to the sports center four years ago.

O’Bryan has been around since the second dinner and said she continues to be amazed at the outpouring of generosity and good will surrounding the event.

“It’s been pretty phenomenal,” she said. “We outgrew the Wasilla Senior Center, then we outgrew the high school. It’s been a steady progression of contributors and has become a tradition.”

Along with the estimated 3,400 on-site visitors, the dinner also delivered about 280 meals to homebound folks from Sutton to Talkeetna and all points in between, O’Bryan said. The leftovers didn’t go to waste, providing enough food for the Wasilla Senior Center to deliver about 300 meals for its clientele. Leftover canned goods went to Wasilla Food Pantry.

Having spent her past 20 Christmases at the friendship dinner, what would O’Bryan do if there weren’t such an event?

“I really don’t know,” she said. “It’s just what I do. I don’t even do Christmas cards. This is what I do. My Christmas lasts for 12 months and 365 days. There are always things behind the scenes that are happening.”

Contact reporter Greg Johnson at greg.johnson@frontiersman.com or 352-2269.