[November 25, 2009] Dinner is (nearly) served Tweet Nov 25, 2009 (McAlester News-Capital - McClatchy-Tribune Information Services via COMTEX) -- Volunteers were busy on Tuesday doing everything from cooking turkeys to chopping celery in preparation for the annual Pittsburg County Community Thanksgiving Dinner. Phone calls were still coming in as of Tuesday afternoon, so those who were preparing the food were still uncertain exactly how many meals to prepare. The cut-off time at the 423-7379 phone number was expected to be at noon today for those wanting to phone and make reservations. Volunteers planned to serve the free holiday dinner with all the trimmings to anyone who wanted to participate and who made reservations either by phoning to make arrangements or by completing an application form. Plans call for the sit-down dinner at the armory to be served near noon on Thursday, Thanksgiving Day, at the George Nigh National Guard Armory at the corner of Third Street and Polk Avenue. On Tuesday, District 2 County Commissioner Kevin Smith and former District 3 Commissioner Randy Crone were busy deboning cooked turkeys, getting them ready for the cornbread dressing. District 1 Commissioner Gene Rogers sampled a bit of the still-steaming turkey. "I'm the official taster," he joked. Although Crone is no longer an elected county official, he still shows up to help as a volunteer for the community dinner. "I like to do it," he said. With the phone calls still coming in on Tuesday afternoon, Pittsburg County Assessor Jim Kelley and fellow volunteer Charlene Spears said those working on the meal still did not have an accurate count of how many participants to expect in the final tally. "We're setting at about 1,800 right now, Kelley said near noon on Tuesday. He and the other volunteers were expecting -- and preparing -- for many more. Meanwhile, home deliveries to those who cannot make it to the armory are set to begin around 8 a.m. "At 11, we'll get the pick-up orders out," said Pittsburg County Assessor Jim Kelley, referring to carry-out meals for those who have made arrangements to pick up their dinners at the armory on Thursday. Contact James Beaty at [email protected]. To see more of the McAlester News-Capital or to subscribe to the newspaper, go to http://www.mcalesternews.com/. Copyright (c) 2009, McAlester News-Capital, Okla. Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services. For reprints, email [email protected], call 800-374-7985 or 847-635-6550, send a fax to 847-635-6968, or write to The Permissions Group Inc., 1247 Milwaukee Ave., Suite 303, Glenview, IL 60025, USA. [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ]