A Grand Lake Thanksgiving: Services, Dinners and Fun, Oh My!
Originally a Pilgrim celebration of their bountiful harvest held in 1621, Thanksgiving has been a national holiday since 1863, when President Abraham Lincoln proclaimed the last Thursday of November a national day of Thanksgiving.
In 1939, President Franklin D. Roosevelt declared the holiday would be celebrated on the fourth Thursday in November and, in 1941, Congress passed a law officially establishing the celebration of Thanksgiving on that day.
This year, on Thursday, Nov. 23, as many as 107 million American homes will celebrate Thanksgiving. Families and friends will gather together as our nation observes the holiday that is one of our nation’s oldest and most cherished traditions.
Americans will mark the day by spending time with loved ones while enjoying abundant holiday feasts of turkey, stuffing, sweet potatoes and pie, lots of pie. Some will watch football games, while others will strategize and finalize their Black Friday shopping plans.
Regarded by many as the official start of the holiday season, Thanksgiving is a time to pause and reflect on the past year and, like the Pilgrims, give thanks for the bounties the year has brought. It’s also a time for sharing those blessings with others.
Several community events, services and dinners are being held throughout the Grand Lake area in observance of this national holiday, including:
• Spavinaw Community Thanksgiving Dinner
The public is invited to join Spavinaw Reboot for a community Thanksgiving celebration on Saturday, Nov. 18, From 11 a.m. to noon, a community Thanksgiving dinner will be served at the Spavinaw Community Building, 125 N. Main St., in Spavinaw.
Donations of canned or shelf-stable food are being collected for Spavinaw’s local food drive at the dinner.
• Potluck Dinner at The Pub
If you need your own little holiday away from your family, the Monkey Island Pub invites you to join your second family at The Pub on Saturday, Nov. 18, for its annual potluck dinner.
Starting at 7 p.m., the potluck dinner promises to be an evening of friendship, fun, food and memories. The annual event is The Pub’s way of expressing how thankful they are “for each and every one of our patrons.” Everyone is invited to bring a covered dish and join in on the fun. There will be great drinks, music and decorations galore. You can even dance off the calories.
• Community Thanksgiving Service
The Grove Ministerial Alliance will host a Community Thanksgiving Service at 6 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 19, at Lake Center Baptist Church on Monkey Island.
The Rev. Mark Kuiper, of Three Rivers Presbyterian Church, will provide the message, while Lake Center Baptist Church pastor Caleb Jernigan will provide the music.
The evening will also include reports from the three ministry directors: Abundant Blessing Center, Loads of Love and Christian HELP Center.
A special offering will be taken during the service to help support the ministries and programs sponsored by the ministerial alliance.
Childcare will be provided during the service and light refreshments will be provided after the service.
• Community Thanksgiving Dinner
On Thursday, Nov. 23, the Community Chapel, in Jay, will host a community Thanksgiving dinner at the Jay Senior Center. The meal is free and open to the public.
Served from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., the meal will include turkey, potatoes (white and sweet), green beans, cranberry sauce, dressing and pumpkin or apple pies.
Meals will also be delivered to those in Jay who are unable to come to the Jay Senior Center. To request a delivery, call the Jay Senior Center at (918) 253-8405 on Thanksgiving Day.
Organizers are thankful for the many volunteers who help make the dinner possible. Donations are being accepted to purchase the turkeys and other items for the dinner.
The Jay Senior Center is located at 816 N. Main, across from the Delaware County Library.
For more information, call (918) 350-4272.
• The Blue House Annual Thanksgiving Dinner
The South Grand Lake Christian Church will host a free Thanksgiving dinner on Thanksgiving Day from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. The meal will be provided by Grand Lake Community Ministry aka The Blue House. Anyone who wants to enjoy some delicious food and wonderful fellowship on Thanksgiving is invited to attend.
The dinner is open to everyone and, according to organizers, “is really a fabulous meal.” The traditional holiday menu will include turkey, ham, sweet potatoes, mashed potatoes and gravy, stuffing, deviled eggs, rolls and lots of wonderful desserts.
Donations are welcomed.
The South Grand Lake Christian Church is located at 446205 E. 350 Road, off Highway 82 between Langley and Vinita.
For more information, call (918) 323-5318.
• Free Thanksgiving Day Meal
Everyone in the Chelsea area is invited to a free Thanksgiving Day meal hosted by the Kelsey, Wilsons and Forgeys families. The dinner will be held at the Boys and Girls Club of Chelsea.
“This year our family wanted to do something different, so we got together with two other families and decided to have a Thanksgiving dinner and invite everyone,” a spokesperson for the families said. “We’re one big, crazy family and we just want to give back a little to the community.”
The Boys and Girls Club of Chelsea is letting the families use their facility for the meal. The club is located at 119 Ash St., in Chelsea.
The families urge anyone who doesn’t have family around or is struggling to make ends meet to come join in.
“Please don’t spend Thanksgiving alone. Our family is cooking up a good old-fashioned Thanksgiving dinner and we would love to share and spend some time with you!”
To make a reservation or for more information, call Shannon at (918) 504-5336 or Pamela at (918) 244-5078.
* * * * *
While many Grand Lake businesses will be closed so their employees can spend the day with their families, a few restaurants will be open on Thanksgiving Day, including:
• Doc’s Bar and Grill at Shangri-La Resort will be serving a traditional Thanksgiving dinner from 11 a.m. until close on Thanksgiving Day. The cost for the dinner is $20. Menu service will also be available. Doc’s is open from 7 a.m. to midnight 365 days year.
Doc’s Bar and Grill is located at Shangri-La Resort on Monkey Island at 31000 S. Highway 125. For more information, call (918) 257-4204.
• Venue 655 Restaurant at Grand Lake Casino will offer a traditional Thanksgiving meal on Thursday, Nov. 23. The dinner will include turkey with gravy, cornbread stuffing, green bean casserole, choice of mashed potatoes or yams, cranberry sauce and a choice of pumpkin or pecan pie for $13 per person.
Grand Lake Casino will also have a special Friday Frenzy Hot Seats on Thanksgiving Day. There will be $500 Hot Seats every 30 minutes from 7 to 10 p.m.
• The Cherokee Restaurant at The Woodshed Big Cabin Travel Plaza will be serving a Thanksgiving Day feast on Thursday, Nov. 23, beginning at 10:30 a.m. until everything is gone.
The feast will include pecan-smoked turkey, traditional baked turkey, smoked ham, Tuscan chicken pasta, corn, okra, broccoli casserole, homemade stuffing, macaroni and cheese, squash medley, homemade candied carrots, homemade green bean casserole, candied yams, homemade dinner rolls, salad bar and many, many holiday desserts.
The cost is $14.99 for adults and $7.99 for children.
The Woodshed Cherokee Restaurant is located at 31209 S. Highway 69, in Big Cabin. For more information, call (918) 783-5185.
• Twin Bridges Restaurant at River Bend Casino will have a Thanksgiving buffet on Thursday, Nov. 23. Available from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m., the buffet is $14.99 per person and $8.99 for children ages 10 and under.
The menu for Thanksgiving Buffet 2017 will include oven-roasted turkey, smoked-pit ham, herb-whipped potatoes, candied mashed sweet potatoes, maple and sausage cornbread stuffing, creamed corn, green bean casserole, cranberry sauce and turkey gravy. There will also be rolls and pumpkin, pecan and apple pies.
River Bend Casino is located at 100 Jackpot Place, in Wyandotte. For more information, call (918) 678-4946.
• Arrowhead Yacht Club invites you to eat, drink and be thankful at its Thanksgiving Feast on Thursday, Nov. 23.
The feast will have more than 30 items to choose from for only $29 per person. The menu will include salads, clam chowder, appetizers, a carving station with roasted and basted Tom turkey, candied bone-in ham and eye of prime rib, seared Atlantic salmon with dill beurre blanc sauce and traditional Thanksgiving sides and desserts.
Seating times are 11 a.m., noon, 1 p.m., 2 p.m. and 3 p.m.
Call (918) 782-3292 or email duane.olney@arrowheadok.com to make your reservations.
Arrowhead Yacht Club and Marina is located at 32894 S. 4507 Road, in Afton.
* * * * *
After dinner has been cleared away and the leftovers wrapped in tinfoil, the Thanksgiving fun is just getting started. For those who want to have a drink with friends or maybe dance off some of the calories, Grand Lake has several establishments that will be open Thanksgiving evening, including:
• Michelle’s Grand Lodge Bar and Grill will open at 4 p.m. on Thanksgiving. The full-service bar’s relaxed atmosphere is the perfect place to wind down after a busy holiday with family.
Michelle’s Grand Lodge Bar and Grill is located at 711 East Ketchum Ave., in Ketchum.
• Stop by Mooney’s Sunset Bar and Grill on Thursday, Nov. 23, and discover another thing to be thankful for — the best sunset views on Grand Lake. The legendary Disney hangout will open at 4 p.m. on Thanksgiving. The kitchen will stay closed, but the cool brews and fun times will be flowing.
Mooney’s Sunset Bar and Grill is located at 330 Lake Front St., in Disney.
* * * * *
Whether you spend Thanksgiving at home with family, at a community dinner making new friends or dining out at a local eating establishment, Grand Lake is a great place to be this holiday season.
Happy Thanksgiving from the staff at Grand Splash Marketing, 360GrandLake.com and NativeKnot.com.