Breckenridge Texan

By Carla McKeown/Breckenridge Texan

Every year since 1947 (except for a couple of years during the COVID-19 pandemic), First Methodist Church of Breckenridge has hosted a Turkey Dinner for the community. It serves as both a fundraiser and an outreach for the church.

Throughout those approximately 80 years, thousands of meals have been served. Many people in Breckenridge know what to expect each November. In recent years, the menu hasn’t changed much, and the format remains the same – dine-in or take-out.

Counterclockwise from left, Lisa Echols, Rosa Leveridge and Beth Byerly check on the pumpkin pies during the pie-baking day at First Methodist Church. (Photo by Tony Pilkington/Breckenridge Texan)

What most people may not know is how much work goes on behind the scenes, preparing for the big day. Oh, anyone who’s ever cooked a Thanksgiving meal for their family knows it takes a lot of work, but deciding who sits at the grown-ups table and who’s still at the kids table isn’t quite the same.

One of the most well-known prep activities for the Turkey Dinner is the pie baking. Every year a group of women gather in the First Methodist kitchen and bake dozens of pumpkin pies and pecan pies.

But, that’s just the tip of the iceberg. They’re also preparing and labeling the to-go boxes, as well as the foil sheets to cover the pies in the freezer until the big day. They’re counting and organizing, calculating and planning.

“Pie Day” is actually two days – Day One is for the pumpkin pies, and Day Two is for the pecan pies. As soon as the pumpkin pies are in the oven on Day One, the volunteers are organizing the ingredients for the next day’s pecan pie baking. For hours, they don’t stop working to ensure that everyone showing up for Turkey Day gets a piece of pie.

This year’s Turkey Dinner is scheduled for Thursday, Nov. 12. The meals will be served from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. For those wanting to dine-in, the Turkey Dinner will be served in the church’s Christian Life Center, 419 W. Walker St. For take-out, a drive-through line will be set up behind the church.

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.

Attendees are encouraged to check out the “Country Store” that will be set up at the dinner, offering baked goods, treats and holiday gifts for sale.

Martye Underwood, left, and Janice Smith look over the plans for the Turkey Dinner, which is scheduled for Nov. 12. (Photo by Tony Pilkington/Breckenridge Texan)

Last week, when the volunteers were baking the pies, they agreed that nothing about Turkey Dinner happens at the last minute. Every year, long-time pie bakers work with one or two new volunteers, teaching them the ropes, assuring that future Pie Days continue to work like a well-oiled machine.

On Day One, the traditional pumpkin pie recipes were taped up at stations along the kitchen counter. Once the pumpkin pie filling was mixed up and poured into the pie shells, the baking and waiting began. As timers started going off, two or three women continuously checked the pies for doneness, often putting them back in the oven for “five more minutes.”

While that was going on, others were preparing the to-go boxes, foil wraps for the freezer (where the pies will be stored for the next couple of weeks), pecans for the Day Two pies, etc.

With 45 pumpkin pies baked six at a time in each of four ovens, the process required two batches. Once the second batch was in the oven, the recipe cards were turned over, revealing the pecan pie directions on the other side. A cart full of Karo syrup was wheeled in, and the stations were prepared with bags of pecans and other ingredients for pecan pie making. They were expecting to bake 60 pecan pies for the dinner.

Soon, the toothpicks inserted into the middle of the pumpkin pies were coming out clean, and the pies were removed from the ovens to cool.

One step of many was completed in the Turkey Dinner preparation.

Click here to see the Breckenridge Texan’s photo gallery from the pumpkin pie baking session.

The volunteers who baked pies for First Methodist Church’s 2026 Turkey Dinner included, from left, Jill Flinchum (front), Beth Byerly (back), Ginger Dittmar, Sue Fisher, Rosa Leveridge, Karen Duggan, Martye Underwood, Lisa Echols and Janice Smith. Not pictured is Linda Burdic. (Photo by Tony Pilkington/Breckenridge Texan)

Sue Fisher, left, takes baked pies out of one oven, while Beth Byerly puts more pies in another oven. The pies will be served at First Methodist Church’s annual Turkey Dinner on Nov. 12. (Photo by Tony Pilkington/Breckenridge Texan)

Rosa Leveridge bags up pecans for the pecan pie baking day. The volunteers baked about 45 pumpkin pies and 60 pecan pies. (Photo by Tony Pilkington/Breckenridge Texan)

While the pies baked, the volunteers took care of other Turkey Dinner tasks, such as organizing and labeling the take-out containers. Pictured from left are Beth Byerly, Lisa Echols, Jill Flinchum, Ginger Dittmar, Sue Fisher and Linda Burdic. (Photo by Tony Pilkington/Breckenridge Texan)

Cutline, top photo: Sue Fisher and Beth Byerly work on pumpkin pies in preparation for First Methodist Church’s annual Turkey Dinner, scheduled for Nov.12. Click here to see more pictures. (Photo by Tony Pilkington/Breckenridge Texan)