Four days before Thanksgiving, Beaufort residents come together for a feast with their extended family.
Beaufort residents celebrate Thanksgiving twice. They get together with their families on the traditional fourth Thursday of November, but that’s their second feast. On the Sunday before Thanksgiving, 300 people gather at the Beaufort Historic Site, located downtown, right across the street from the water, to savor turkey and trimmings donated by area restaurants.
Last year, Dave Mense and his family stood in a line that stretched down the city block and wrapped around the corner. Dinner didn’t start for another 30 minutes, but tickets always sell out. Mense and his teenage sons look forward to the Community Thanksgiving Feast every year.
“I think this is our 11th year,” Mense said. “We’ve now made it a tradition with our next-door neighbors.”
When the Menses first invited their neighbors Linda and Frank Ipock six years ago, the Ipocks thought it sounded like a way to support a good cause and spend time with their friends. Now, they wouldn’t miss it.
The Community Thanksgiving Feast started in 1995 with just six local restaurants catering the event to raise money for the Beaufort Historic Site. Last year, 18 restaurants, nearly every restaurant in downtown Beaufort, participated.
Each restaurant brings a different dish for the potluck Thanksgiving meal. A buffet-style serving line forms in the 1825 Josiah Bell House, and chefs dish out the food as folks file through. Turkey from Beaufort Grocery Company, mashed potatoes from Spouter Inn, collards and cornbread from Clawson’s 1905 Restaurant, and pumpkin pie from Front Street Grill were just a few offerings at last year’s feast.
“We have a good time doing it,” says James Clarkson, executive chef at Clawson’s 1905 Restaurant. “It’s really fun getting out and meeting people. I’ve probably fed at least half the county.”
Docents Rita Bailey and Peggy Reilly decorate the Josiah Bell House in an old-fashioned style. Once diners get through the main-course serving line, they make their way to the soup station in the 1778 Leffers Cottage. Two docents in period dresses keep a fire burning in the hearth as they ladle seafood bisque from the NetHouse and chili from Royal James Café into bowls. Some diners choose to take their meals to go, but most claim a seat under the large tents on the property.
Pat Engstrom started attending the Community Thanksgiving Feast with her husband about 10 years ago. When he passed away, she continued the tradition even though she has to drive about 85 miles from Greenville.
“The rest of my family is in the Midwest and the West Coast,” she said. “So this is my Thanksgiving dinner. When I get through here, I go down to the shore.”
Community Thanksgiving Feast
November 20
Beaufort Historic Site
100 Block Turner Street
Beaufort, N.C. 28516
(252) 728-5225
beauforthistoricsite.org
11:30 a.m.-1 p.m.
$18 in advance, $20 at the door
Amy Hotz was a staff writer for the StarNews in Wilmington. She now lives in Washington, D.C.
