56th annual Carson Nugget Thanksgiving feeds hundreds
A first class Carson City Thanksgiving feast with all the fixins' was put on the table Thursday by the Carson Nugget, a tradition and promise it has made to the community for 56 years.
Families by the scores began entering the Carson Nugget convention center at 11 a.m. sharp for the traditional free event, which began three days in advance with food preparation. More than 1,000 guests had been anticipated to show for the annual community gathering.
At least 30 volunteers were on hand to do everything from filling water glasses to meet-and-greet, to dishing up heaps of mashed potatoes, stuffing and, of course, the turkey.
As of about 1 p.m. Thursday more than 600 people had walked through the doors for the feast, with hundreds more waiting. The dinner officially ended at 2 p.m.
Jerry Kopp of Carson City has attended about 10 of the Thanksgiving dinners over the span of about 30 years. He's grateful for the event and says the Carson Nugget really pulls through for Carson City.
"They give much more than meals to the community," said Kopp.
The management team of Carson Nugget and volunteers make the event incredibly heart-warming and welcoming to everyone who walks through the door.
"It's a community celebration for those who may not have someone to eat Thanksgiving with or those who may not have the means to prepare a meal," said Star Anderson, general manager of the Carson Nugget. ""It's a way for us to give back to the community."
It's also a way for people to meet new people because the seating and table arrangement allows for large groups of people to sit in a circle together making conversations easy.
"We've had people walk in here not knowing anybody to people leaving having made new friendships," said Anderson.
Executive Chef and Director of Food and Beverage Nick DeMagistris said preparation began on Monday. More than 1,000 pounds of turkey was prepared, along with hundreds of pounds of potatoes, 35 gallons of gravy, 10 cases of yams, 2,000 dinner rolls, a dozen cases of cranberry relish and about 200 pies — apple, cherry and traditional pumpkin.
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