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A Lake County home cooking tradition continues this Thanksgiving Day with the annual community dinners in Silver Bay and Two Harbors.

Nearly 300 are expected at free dinners at United Protestant Church in Silver Bay and Holy Spirit Catholic Church in Two Harbors.

Both dinners are at churches because they are the largest donated spaces they can find with ovens, dining space, and access for the handicapped. Organizers remind the public that the home-cooked meals are open to anyone who wants one next Thursday.

And if you want to share your kitchen skills, both dinners need volunteer help.

Turkeys are roasted at Silver Bay homes with one cooked at the church, organizer Maggie King said. “You need the aroma of a roasting turkey there,” she said.

About 80 people took part in the Silver Bay meal last year. Reservations are requested by Monday along with plans for a dish to share. The dinner includes turkey, potatoes, gravy, rolls and beverages. Those attending are asked to bring family-favorite desserts and salads.

King said she expects plenty of visiting families and older residents to attend beginning at 12:30 at United. The event is sponsored by the Salvation Army of Lake County.

The Two Harbors meal is touted as 100-percent homemade and growing since its debut in 2006. Once part of the College of St. Scholastica’s annual Duluth area meal, the Two Harbors organizers have branched off and are on their own in offering “from scratch” meals at the church and for delivery.

“We’re more than able to do it on our own,” said Carole Carlson. She, along with Gerri Lampart and George Scheidt, are helped by sponsors.

They include the Salvation Army, Neighbor To Neighbor Thrift Store, and the Two Harbors Christian Ministerial Association.

“(Scholastica) expected us to break away,” Lampart said.

Carlson says she’s learned that you don’t need 10,000 olives as they discovered the past three years just “what you can have and what you actually need.”

The meals delivered by Two Harbors Ambulance and Rescue crews will be from the church, a change from past years when meals were prepared by the organizers in Duluth. That means carved turkey and the “amazing” hand-mashed potatoes.

The Duluth meals were made in bulk, meaning pressed turkey and the like. “We wanted it all home-made,” Lampart said.

“They do a very good job in Duluth,” Carlson said. “We just wanted our own.”

Lampart, who has gained a reputation around town for her pies and other delectables, got the ball rolling on a community dinner in 2006. Before then, the only shared Thanksgiving event in Two Harbors had been a meal “years ago” at Judy’s Restaurant.

“I always wanted to something like this,” Lampart said. She appreciates the support and how others “have gotten involved. I hope this just keeps growing.”

It’s a full meal at Holy Spirit, right down to the real whipped cream for the pumpkin pies. Volunteers and donations are always welcome.

If you go

Silver Bay dinner

1-2:30 p.m. Thursday at United Protestant Church, Horn Street and Outer Drive. Call by Monday for reservations and to announce your dish to pass, church at 226-3973, Maggie at 226-4317 or Hilda at 226-4656.

Two Harbors dinner

Noon-2 p.m. Thursday at Holy Spirit Catholic Church, 227 Third Ave. Call to get on the delivery schedule, George at 834-6492 or Gerri at 834-2972 (834-2380 at night). Call Gerri to get on the volunteer list.

Duluth dinner

11 a.m.-4 p.m. at Duluth Entertainment and Convention Center, Canal Park.

Tags: two harbors, silver bay, thanksgiving, community