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Silverthorne draws hundreds for annual Thanksgiving dinner

Summit County Rotarians and volunteers served hundreds of plates of turkey on Thursday, as part of the annual Thanksgiving dinner at Silverthorne.
Elise Reuter / ereuter@summitdaily.com |

The long line of people grew outside of the Silverthorne Pavilion, as volunteers began to set out platters of turkey, mashed potatoes and hundreds of slices of pumpkin pie. The Rotary’s annual Thanksgiving Dinner serves more than 400 locals each year, and Thursday’s feast appeared to be no exception.

“It started off very small, and grew into a big budget event,” organizer Wendy Myers said, estimating this year to be the 27th dinner the Summit County Rotary has hosted. She has helped organize the event since 2009.

This year, she said the Rotary bought 465 pounds of turkey, prepared by chefs at the Keystone Conference Center along with the usual fixings: Mashed potatoes, green beans and 60 pumpkin pies.



Everyone in the community is welcome, and several volunteers pitched in the make the event happen. Mike Spry, owner of the Sunshine Café in Silverthorne, helped the Rotary purchase the turkeys, while a few Silverthorne police officers helped set up tables. The town of Silverthorne donated the Pavilion for the afternoon.

The dinner lasted from noon to 3 p.m. at the Silverthorne Pavilion, where a mixture of families, young singles and seniors gathered to celebrate — and eat.



“Anybody is welcome to come,” volunteer Susan Juergensmeier said. “We get a lot of people who don’t have any family in town who want to come. We also get a lot of people who bring their families here.”

At one table, a large family partook in the meal together. At another, a group of friends celebrated the holiday.

“It’s just nice to share with everybody,” Jorge Torres, an employee at the Nike Factory Store in Silverthorne said as his friend nodded in agreement.

Just across the room, several old friends chatted as they nibbled on turkey. The group said they had come to the dinner several times since moving to the county.

“We’re not here to cook,” one man laughed. “I think it’s great that the Rotary and others do this for the community.”

Despite the November chill outside, the room was filled with warmth, smiling faces and the smell of fresh food. Friends drew together, and strangers became acquaintances as they shared a table and a meal.

“It’s what it’s all about — having a family meal,” Myers said.


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