Steamboat Pilot & Today

Steamboat Springs — Those who may not have Christmas dinner plans can join the Steamboat Springs Board of Realtors, which is throwing its annual community Christmas dinner for the holiday, dinner organizer Chris Sachs said.

The table is set for those who are new in town or are working on Christmas Day or are facing a Christmas reality away from home.

"People have been really good with donating food this year. My primary concern is that the people who would want to come, know about it," Sachs said.

Sachs said he needs people to dig in to 14 turkeys (five of them smoked by the The Smokehouse restaurant) and at least six hams. There will also be mashed potatoes, stuffing, yams, green beans and probably even some cranberry sauce for color.

This is the fourth year in a row the realtors have opened the doors to the Steamboat Community Center to Routt County on Christmas Day. Last year, the dinner drew 300 locals, Sachs year.

The food is donated and prepared by the realtors, with help from the Safeway, City Market and The Smokehouse.

"I'm also getting a lot of people from the general public who are calling me and wanting to donate food or volunteer," Sachs said.

Glenna Clark, the community dinner guru, who has organized the event ever since it started, passed the reins to Sachs. She'll be surrounded by at least 20 volunteers.

"There are people who volunteer every year because they really enjoy doing it," Sachs said.

Ray and Sheila Wright have volunteered each year.

"It's just fun," Ray said. "It's a great community event seeing all the people there. It's what Christmas is all about."

The Wrights are organizing the entertainment this year. So far, guitar player Brent Rowan and pianist Mark Johnston have committed. Plus, We're Not Clowns will perform a juggling act at the dinner.

Rides to Steamboat from south Routt and Hayden will be provided for free from Alpine Taxi.

In south Routt, a shuttle will pick up passengers at the post office in Yampa at 2 p.m., and then stop at the post offices in Phippsburg and Oak Creek along the way to the dinner.

In Hayden, a shuttle will pick up people at the post office at 2 p.m.

Reservations for a ride need to be made at 879-2800.

Dinner goers can show up to the Christmas feast anytime between 2:30 p.m. and 6:30 p.m. on Christmas day at Steamboat Community Center, behind the Bud Werner Memorial Library.