‘Orphan’ Thanksgiving has a record year
They call it the “orphan” Thanksgiving because every Turkey Day for the last several years in Apalachicola, there’s been a get-together to bring friends and strangers together, those who otherwise might not have a place to eat, to mark that great American holiday.
Originally, it was a labor of love put together by hospitality people, like bar owners James and Erin Frost at the former Apalachicola Ice Company.
But ever since 2018, thanks to the efforts of a dedicated group of ladies, it’s been held at the Mill Pond pavilion and has become a very public affair.
Trish Meyers, along with Staci Rosson and Tami Cowart, have grown the Apalachicola Communal Thanksgiving event into a huge affair, and this year, with well over 100 guests, it proved to be its largest to date.
Several volunteers like Lisa Laursen and Nancy Thompson have helped to make it what it has become. This year, Patrick Kelly, manager at Dockside Halfshell, brought over a smoker and cooked up turkey and ham for the lavish buffet of homecooked casseroles, vegetables, desserts, appetizers, and assorted sides.
Two years ago, the three organizers began taking up cash donations, which has added to the greatness of the affair.
Meyer is thinking of stepping down from her role as the chief organizer, but said she remains confident that the tradition she helped inaugurate will live on.
Meet the Editor
David Adlerstein, The Apalachicola Times’ digital editor, started with the news outlet in January 2002 as a reporter.
Prior to then, David Adlerstein began as a newspaperman with a small Boston weekly, after graduating magna cum laude from Brandeis University in Waltham, Massachusetts. He later edited the weekly Bellville Times, and as business reporter for the daily Marion Star, both not far from his hometown of Columbus, Ohio.
In 1995, he moved to South Florida, and worked as a business reporter and editor of Medical Business newspaper. In Jan. 2002, he began with the Apalachicola Times, first as reporter and later as editor, and in Oct. 2020, also began editing the Port St. Joe Star.