It’s official – Ladysmith now celebrates Christmas in January, thanks to a new tradition started by the Ladysmith Recreation Committee.
For the second year in a row, the community group hosted a turkey feast, fixings and all, followed by a dance with live music by Reg Carkner Band.
The basement of the TCRA hall was decked with twinkle lights and ornaments hanging from the ceiling, wreaths and big red bows put up around the room, and even a Christmas tree set up on stage.
“We wanted to do a Christmas party, but it’s too busy, so we figured in January it would be perfect,” said committee president and Thorne councillor Terri-Lyn Blaskie between calling up tables to fill their plates.
“At the first one we were asked to make it annual, so here we are, Christmas in January number two.”
Much like last year, the event sold out in a week, with overflow interest put on a waitlist in case seats opened up.
The cooking was a team effort, with over a dozen volunteers involved in preparing the food ahead of time and serving the 125 guests the day of.
“We had nine turkeys and four hams. Friday we cooked all the turkeys. And then pies, we actually cooked them today. So they’re fresh made.”
Local kitchen whiz Lise Dagenais was the muscle behind the freshly baked pies this year, as well as the vat of homemade coleslaw.
“I made cherry pies, apple pie, lemon meringue pie and sugar pie, all from scratch. Oh and I also made a chocolate cake,” she said.
The lemon meringue pie was so fresh it was almost unservable, still setting when it came time to serve dessert.
“It’s nice to see their smiles. I love working in food, I just enjoy it. I worked for 25 years for the government, was maybe happy 10 years of the 25. But when I’m in food, I never get tired,” Dagenais said, noting next weekend she’ll be at the Otter Lake RA just after 5 a.m. on Saturday morning to get the grills going for breakfast at the annual fishing derby there.
“I like the energy, and I like feeding people. I like them to be happy and have their tummy all filled up.”
Blaskie said the event helped raise money for the committee, which is hoping to get a liquor licence this year, and has plans to purchase some soccer nets and repaint the event room.
