Getting ready to feast

WASILLA — Hungry residents looking for a meal need not look far Christmas Day.

Every year at Wasilla High School, throngs of Valley residents turn out for the annual Christmas Day Dinner. The free event is open to everyone with an appetite, and has been growing in attendance since its inception.

This is the dinner’s 17th year.

Elsie O’Bryan, one of the organizers, said one of the best part of the dinner are the connections and reconnections made by residents who haven’t seen each other for awhile.

That, and volunteers cook up some great food, she said.

Last year’s dinner featured an appearance by Gov. Sarah Palin, along with more than 1,000 people.

In an interview with the Frontiersman, longtime organizer Bob Bowers, who has been operating the dinner for 16 years, pointed out the people who attend the dinner are far-ranging.

“We’ve got doctors, lawyers, businessmen, community folk all together,” Bowers said.

On Friday, Bowers said officials with the dinner are projecting 1,500 people at the dinner — at least that’s how many they’re cooking for.

Last year, cooks prepared 43 turkeys, 23 hams, 400 pounds of potatoes and 150 gallons of gravy, among other items.

With the estimated attendance this year, those numbers are sure to grow. “So far we have 52 turkeys and I hear there are more being donated.” said cook John Gray. “We also have about 350 lbs. of ham.”

Bowers said the economy is expected to create an increase in attendance.

“I’m thinking because of the way the economy is and people being short on cash,” Bowers said.

Any leftovers will go to two places: canned goods or unopened food to the Lutheran Church Food Pantry and cooked food to the Open Bible Fellowship Soup Kitchen in Big Lake.

For this year’s event, Bowers lauded the addition of former Wasilla City Councilman Marty Metiva to the dinner’s organizing board.

“He came on board this year and since he came on board things are just going wild,” Bowers said.

Bowers said the meal will begin at 11 a.m. on Christmas morning and servers will stop making food at 3 p.m.

Bowers said the idea of the meal is all about community, and for those who maybe don’t have any family in town.

“It has nothing to do with money,” Bowers said. “Nothing to do with being poor.”

Contact Michael Rovito at michael.rovito@frontiersman.com or 352-2252.

If You Go:

What: 17th Annual

Christmas Dinner.

Where: Wasilla High School.

When: 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Dec. 25.