Food, families and goodwill bountiful on Thanksgiving Day

BRISTOL, Va. – Three of Thanksgiving’s best qualities were in high quantity across Bristol Thursday: food, families and goodwill.

It was 9:30 Thanksgiving morning in the kitchen of Bristol Fire Department’s Station No. 3 on Suncrest Drive – and Lt. Mark Nash, along with firefighters Robert Thomas and Tracy Hobbs, were well into Year 5 of their annual ritual.

A large pot of green beans, with generous hunks of fatback meat, was bubbling on the stove. Two huge turkey breasts, juices dripping from each, were roasting in the oven. A big dish of creamy cole slaw was in the midst of preparation. Deviled eggs were being carefully laid out on a plate. A massive 5-gallon tub was plopped on a counter, waiting to be filled to the brim with Thomas’ special recipe of fresh-brewed sweet tea.

And all that would just be for starters Thursday, as Nash, Thomas and Hobbs proudly set about their traditional duty of cooking Thanksgiving dinner for 25 or so co-workers and other members of the fire department family.

“We may all have our own families to share Thanksgiving with, but being in the fire department means you’re part of a second family,” said Nash, known as the “Emeril Lagasse” of Bristol fire personnel for his cooking skill.

“So when we cook up this meal every Thanksgiving, we really treat it like we’re cooking for family,” Nash said.

“It means a lot to us and all the guys and everyone else who shares the meal.”

Moments later, over at St. Luke United Methodist Church on North Street, parishioners Jimmy Icenhour and Jo Ann Allison shared smiles as they and 15 others bustled around the church’s kitchen, checking over 25 roasted turkey breasts, immense pots of corn, green beans with ham, gravy, mashed potatoes and various other dishes – while, in a nearby room, 30 boxes of pumpkin and apple pies were being opened and sliced, with great precision, into individual servings.

The food was being gathered and prepared as part of St. Luke’s annual tradition of providing 200 to 250 free Thanksgiving dinners to needy area residents.

“I was up at 5 in the morning, getting started on the green beans,” Allison said. “But I don’t even think about the time doing this. It’s really about helping others have the chance to enjoy this holiday, and share what we have.”

Icenhour, sporting a chef’s hat and flowing apron, said: “We get so much out of doing this, and we really appreciate being able to do it. Just the fellowship that’s involved in this is so enjoyable. It’s a wonderful feeling, every Thanksgiving.”

Some three hours later, the Bristol firefighters – some with their families – have gathered in the dining room of Station No. 1 on Lee Road.

The hours of cooking by Nash, Thomas and Hobbs are complete, and the bounty spread across the kitchen counter is impressive. A huge ham, cut into thick slices, fills one tray while Nash’s famed mashed potatoes (“The secret is don’t be stingy with the cream or the butter,” he said.) takes up another. Meanwhile, the aroma of baked yam slices, drizzled with a secret cinnamon mixture that Nash coyly refuses to disclose, comes wafting from another area.

After the firefighters and families gather in a circle for Thomas’ holiday prayer, Nash declares, “Get it and growl” – and soon, plates are being loaded with rolls, meat, beans, potatoes, secret-drizzle yams, gravy, dressing and more.

(All of it pretty delicious, by the way.)

As Bristol Fire Department Capt. Daryl Loudy munched on a deviled egg (“I could eat my weight in these things,” he confided.), he looked at the full seats, tables and plates with a smile.

“As firefighters, we work, eat and rest together every day as an extended family,” Loudy said. “It’s only right we celebrate together, too, as an extended family. So, it’s great to share another Thanksgiving together with family.”

At St. Luke Church, the final preparations are in place to feed the 250 who will steadily stream into the church’s hall over the next few hours, enjoying a holiday meal they might not otherwise have.

For Marcia Pruner of Lebanon, Va., who had been seeking somewhere to volunteer on Thanksgiving, the sights, sounds and good will on display have been well worth the trip.

“I just wanted to do something to help someone else [on Thanksgiving],” Pruner said. “I’m glad I did, too. It’ll make my own Thanksgiving meal even better.”

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