The annual Rush County Thanksgiving Day and Christmas Day Dinners were held at the Bison Methodist Church, Bison, and St. Michael’s Parish Hall, La Crosse respectively.

A traditional dinner of turkey and dressing, ham, potatoes and gravy, green beans, Jell-O salad, dinner rolls, pumpkin pie, and beverages was served to all.

Numerous people, previous helpers and new, helped get the meals ready for delivery then drove throughout the county, and some beyond, delivering meals to those who requested delivery or for whom meals were requested.

Carry-outs kept us busy after preparing home delivery meals. After sit-down meals were served, games were played and enjoyed by those playing and those as spectators.

This was the third year that Jackson and Jewell Dinsmore have helped with cooking the day before the event. They have learned a lot and have gotten a lot of practice. They have made my job so much easier. I am not as exhausted as previously.

The same goes for those who help with cleaning up. These people are such a blessing!

This year I cooked a total of 14 turkeys, 25 pounds of ham, 80 pounds of potatoes (a lot of peeling), dressing (30 pounds of bread, 10 stalks celery and 10+ pounds of onion), 10 gallon green beans, 40 boxes of Jell-O (with pineapple and mandarin oranges), more than three gallons of gravy, nine recipes of dinner rolls, 33 pumpkin pies, several other desserts, coffee, and three gallons of apple cider.

I would like to specifically mention the Bison Methodist Church and St. Michael’s Parish Hall. The congregation are very gracious for allowing us to use their facilities. What is especially great about their facilities is that both have the big old gas stoves with 8 burners and two ovens! What a blessing for a large meal!

Several sponsors made the meals possible.