Pumpkin spice and plenty of team spirit fill First Methodist kitchen in preparation for annual Turkey Dinner
By Carla McKeown/Breckenridge Texan
Anyone who thought all the action was on the football field last weekend, wasn’t in the kitchen at First Methodist Church last week. Bright and early Wednesday morning, Oct. 22, a group of local volunteers gathered at the church to start baking for the upcoming Turkey Dinner, scheduled for Thursday, Nov. 13.
Beth Byerly pours pumpkin pie filling into the pie shells while Martye Underwood, center, and Sharon Toland look on. Click here to see more pie baking pictures. (Photo by Tony Pilkington/Breckenridge Texan)
The women mixed and poured, baked and tested the pumpkin pies for doneness, all the while cheering each other on, in true Buckaroo fashion. “Good job! Good job!” they called out as steady hands placed the pies in the ovens without spilling any of the pie filling.
Soon, the kitchen was warm, and the aroma of pumpkin pies filled the air.
In the fellowship hall, other volunteers were labeling the foil covers and helping to get everything ready for the next day’s pecan pie baking activities. They baked 44 pumpkin pies on Wednesday, Oct. 22, and about 60 pecan pies on Oct. 23. The pies will be frozen until Nov. 13.
Some of the pies will be served as dessert to the Turkey Dinner; others will be sold in the WINGS (Women in God’s Service) bake sale going on at the same time.
Kathy Hoffman checks to see if a pumpkin pie is ready to take out of the oven. (Photo by Tony Pilkington/Breckenridge Texan)
The meal will include turkey, dressing, green beans, new potatoes, gravy, rolls, cranberry sauce, fruit salad and either pumpkin pie or pecan pie. Tickets cost $15 each and may be purchased from church members, at the church or at the local banks. The meals may be eaten on-site in the church’s Christian Life Center or picked up in the drive-through, to-go line behind the church.
Tickets are limited, with 650 on sale this year.
“The church has been doing this since 1947,” Martye Underwood said Wednesday morning as she and Janice Smith labeled the foil covers. “People like to come for the fellowship, as well as the food. It’s a community builder.”
The Turkey Dinner was once a much smaller event with the all of the meals served in what is now the fellowship hall. At one time, the take-out meals were handed out at a little restaurant next door to the church.
“So we have come a long way. We’re getting better every year…getting older every year,” she said with a smile.
Click here to see the Breckenridge Texan’s photo gallery from the pumpkin pie baking session.
It was a busy morning at First Methodist Church last week as cooked pumpkin pies were set aside to cool while the next batch was put into the ovens. Pictured, from left, are Sharon Toland, Martye Underwood, Beth Byerly and Rose Leveridge. (Photo by Tony Pilkington/Breckenridge Texan)
Cutline, top photo: Working on the pumpkin pie baking and other Turkey Dinner preparations last week were, from left, Brian Kight, Rose Leveridge, Martye Underwood, Janice Smith, Kathy Hoffman, Sharon Toland, Beth Byerly. Not pictured is Linda Burdic. Click here to see more photos. (Photo by Tony Pilkington/Breckenridge Texan)
