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Volunteers, including Legion Post 410 Commander Jim Schledorn, serve the Christmas meal.
Photos by Ron Clarke
December 20, 2023
Lakehills American Christmas Dinner enjoyed by hundreds
By Ron Clarke
The Bandera Prophet
The sun was barely rising on Saturday morning when more than 30 volunteers, including Lakehills American Legion Auxiliary members and Legionnaires, arrived to prepare a special Christmas holiday meal for the Bandera County and Lakehills Community.
By noon, the volunteers had deep-fried and baked 25 turkeys weighing almost 300 lbs, four gallons of green beans, 25 lbs of garlic mashed potatoes, 5 lbs of Cranberry Sauce, and 25 lbs of a hybrid cornbread and white bread dressing, and more than 250 individual servings of various desserts homemade by the Auxiliary.
“It’s always good to see our neighbors and let them know face-to-face and hand-to-hand with this free gathering that we appreciate their thoughts and goodwill to our veterans in Bandera County. As you can see, many residents have joined us in this annual celebration to thank us, but we also thank them. The Auxiliary and the local Lakehills American Legion post work well together and have for many years served the hundreds as our straightforward way of saying thanks. It has become a tradition that we know will endure for future veterans as well,” Nancy Webb, the president of the American Legion Auxiliary, said.
“This is a time where we can gather as a community and see our neighbors, cook, and bring this annual traditional event to them. Many attending today said that they look forward to this event each Christmas. There is absolutely no way that we can sponsor this event without the support of all the volunteers from the Auxiliary as well as our own Legionnaires. We are proud to host this and have been doing so for almost 20 years. We intend to continue this tradition and we certainly appreciate not only the volunteers, but the people who attended today. We are here for them just as much as they are here for our Veterans. Bandera County loves its veterans, and we can see that here today based on the attendance of our neighbors who are joining us,” James “Jim” Schledorn, the commander of the Lakehills American Legion Post, said.
The American Legion Hall in Lakehills filled quickly as the aroma of a Christmas feast escaped the doors. Volunteers served the free meal to nearly three hundred local residents a traditional Christmas meal as the sounds of Christmas music wafted over the group joining the aroma of the fresh meal.
After the meal, the group remained and talked as neighbors do and of course, no Lakehills event at Christmas would be complete without a visit from Santa, who arrived just as the food line began to move. However, the Christmas music was loud enough to disguise any hoofbeats on the roof. Since everyone stated that they had been good this year, the visit from Santa was brief. As it always is with Christmas magic, when the food was finished, Santa disappeared as well, at least until next weekend when he will return to fulfill his annual duty of deliveries to the good children of Bandera County.
By noon, the volunteers had deep-fried and baked 25 turkeys weighing almost 300 lbs, four gallons of green beans, 25 lbs of garlic mashed potatoes, 5 lbs of Cranberry Sauce, and 25 lbs of a hybrid cornbread and white bread dressing, and more than 250 individual servings of various desserts homemade by the Auxiliary.
“It’s always good to see our neighbors and let them know face-to-face and hand-to-hand with this free gathering that we appreciate their thoughts and goodwill to our veterans in Bandera County. As you can see, many residents have joined us in this annual celebration to thank us, but we also thank them. The Auxiliary and the local Lakehills American Legion post work well together and have for many years served the hundreds as our straightforward way of saying thanks. It has become a tradition that we know will endure for future veterans as well,” Nancy Webb, the president of the American Legion Auxiliary, said.
“This is a time where we can gather as a community and see our neighbors, cook, and bring this annual traditional event to them. Many attending today said that they look forward to this event each Christmas. There is absolutely no way that we can sponsor this event without the support of all the volunteers from the Auxiliary as well as our own Legionnaires. We are proud to host this and have been doing so for almost 20 years. We intend to continue this tradition and we certainly appreciate not only the volunteers, but the people who attended today. We are here for them just as much as they are here for our Veterans. Bandera County loves its veterans, and we can see that here today based on the attendance of our neighbors who are joining us,” James “Jim” Schledorn, the commander of the Lakehills American Legion Post, said.
The American Legion Hall in Lakehills filled quickly as the aroma of a Christmas feast escaped the doors. Volunteers served the free meal to nearly three hundred local residents a traditional Christmas meal as the sounds of Christmas music wafted over the group joining the aroma of the fresh meal.
After the meal, the group remained and talked as neighbors do and of course, no Lakehills event at Christmas would be complete without a visit from Santa, who arrived just as the food line began to move. However, the Christmas music was loud enough to disguise any hoofbeats on the roof. Since everyone stated that they had been good this year, the visit from Santa was brief. As it always is with Christmas magic, when the food was finished, Santa disappeared as well, at least until next weekend when he will return to fulfill his annual duty of deliveries to the good children of Bandera County.