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Williams Community Holiday Dinner set for Dec. 15
Event open to all community members to feature visit from Santa Claus and raffle for 10 bicycles

Above: Virginia Quinn holds Marble the monkey. Quinn is accepting donations of $20 or more to go toward buying the stuffed animals for the holiday dinner. Clara Beard/ WGCN

Above: Virginia Quinn holds Marble the monkey. Quinn is accepting donations of $20 or more to go toward buying the stuffed animals for the holiday dinner. Clara Beard/ WGCN

Thanksgiving has come and gone, but people can enjoy another turkey dinner with all of the trimmings at the 11th annual Community Holiday Dinner on Dec. 15.

The dinner will take place from noon to 2 p.m. at Doc Holliday's Steakhouse at the Canyon Gateway Hotel, 950 N. Grand Canyon Blvd.

The Williams Kiwanis Club organizes the event. The club receives help from about 40 volunteers from other local service organizations and the schools, said Kiwanis member Bud Parenteau.

"Originally it started out to help people that ordinarily would be unable to afford a Thanksgiving dinner. But because it was a problem identifying the people...we just decided to open it to the community," Parenteau said. "And then it got bigger and bigger to where we're serving between 500 and 600 people, so we invited all the other service clubs to come in and most all of them do."

The meal will include 25 turkeys that the Williams Food Bank donated, 10 hams, sides like mashed potatoes and green beans and cookies that community members bake for dessert.

Parenteau said the Kennelly family who owns Doc Hollidays are the "heroes" of the event for providing the venue, preparing some of the food, and providing drinks.

Besides the food, the Community Holiday Dinner also includes a visit from Santa Claus. Parenteau recommended that parents bring cameras to take pictures of their kids with Santa.

All children in attendance will also be entered into a raffle to win one of 10 bicycles in different age categories.

In addition, each child in attendance will receive a Marble the monkey stuffed animal. Virginia Quinn is accepting donations of $20 or more to go toward buying the stuffed animals. Donations may be mailed to 106 S. Ninth St. Williams, AZ 86046. More information is available from Quinn at (928) 635-0677.

While the Community Holiday Dinner takes place in Williams, Parenteau said it's not just for Williams residents. People from nearby communities are welcome to attend the dinner as well.

"It's open to anybody," Parenteau said. "We have people coming up from Ash Fork and coming down from the Grand Canyon and Parks. And that's what it's for is to help the communities in the area. It brings the community together."


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