Elks plan family Christmas dinner
PRESQUE ISLE — On Christmas Day, the Presque Isle Elks Lodge 1954 will host its 11th consecutive Family Christmas Dinner at the lodge, located at 508 Main St., beginning at 11 a.m.
There is no cost for the dinner or for transportation to and from the event for those who need it.
According to Elks Exalted Ruler Alan Harding, this year’s event will be dedicated to the memory of Mary Dickinson, past exalted ruler of the Presque Isle Elks, who died Jan. 31.
In 2005, Dickinson recognized that a growing number of people, particularly senior citizens and individuals with disabilities, were spending Christmas Day alone at home with no family or friends. For her, this was unacceptable and something needed to be done. She and her husband, Dana Dickinson, championed the effort to persuade the lodge’s board of directors to take on a new project that would be larger, more involved and more expensive than any other charitable endeavor they had ever undertaken.
Under the leadership of Mary and Dana Dickinson, co-chairs, the first Elks Family Christmas Dinner was such a huge success that the lodge could not envision a Christmas without the event.
For this 11th annual dinner, as in previous years, written invitations have been delivered to people known to be alone by Presque Isle social service agencies, but no invitation is required. Any person who would otherwise be spending Christmas Day alone is invited and encouraged to attend. If transportation is needed, the Elks will provide it.
“We anticipate a large attendance again this year,” said Harding. “We plan to have some special guests, as well as a tribute to Mary Dickinson, which will again make the Elks Family Christmas Dinner a most enjoyable and joyous celebration of Christmas,” Harding concluded.
Entertainment and hors d’oeuvres will begin at 11. As in previous years, there will be live musical entertainment featuring the “Soggybottom Boyz,” comprised of Wendell Hudson, Leland Clark, Peter Parker, James “Sheldon” Wright and other friends.
At noon a five-course, sit-down, traditional Christmas dinner will be served, starting with fresh garden salad and Governor’s famous dinner rolls, followed by tomato bisque soup from the Northeastland Hotel. The main entr√©e will consist of roasted turkey with County-grown mashed potatoes and gravy, stuffing or country-baked ham, sweet potatoes, and a variety of vegetables. For dessert, the Elks will once again be serving a wide variety of pies, including Governor’s cream pies.
For further information, or to arrange transportation, call 764-0985.
