SIDNEY — The annual Alpha Community Center Thanksgiving Dinner will be held Friday, Nov. 17. Doors open at 4:30 p.m. with the dinner served at 5 p.m.

According to Alpha Center Director Jan Geuy, the event has been held annually for 22 years.

“The visionary who began this tradition at Alpha Center, Tommy Henderson, wanted to make sure that everyone had access to a traditional Thanksgiving meal in this community,” said Geuy. “So our food is traditional: 6 to 8 turkeys, 6 to 8 hams, mashed potatoes, gravy, dressing, Tommy’s famous mac’n’cheese, green bean casserole, baked beans, sweet potatoes and corn. Michael Jannides donates his famous Spot pies for dessert.”

Henderson heads up the kitchen and he is assisted by a loyal team of six or seven people who assist in the preparation.

“On Friday, the day of, we have kids from Fairlawn coming to decorate our tables,” said Geuy. “We have kids from the Christian Academy and Pemberton United Methodist Church to help serve and clean up, in addition to adults, many of whom have helped us for years. I have a loyal retired police officer who buys our turkeys every year.

“In years past we have served up to 425 people. The last couple years we have served 300-325 people. It’s a lot of work but so worth it to make people happy by giving them the opportunity to fellowship over a home cooked holiday meal,” said Geuy.