BY TOM EASTMAN
THE CONWAY DAILY SUN
CONWAY — Attendance was off from last year’s total of 301 and the record of 306 diners set in 2015, but there was no shortage of holiday cheer, camaraderie and great food at Wednesday’s Ameri- can Legion Post 95 Christmas Day feast, with about 175 guests served at the annual dinner — including Santa Claus himself.
The feast was presented at noon by Post 95 of North Conway with the help of volunteers at the Conway Congregational Church.
Although attendance at the actual meal was off, organizer John Pandora of Post 95 said that more than 100 meals were deliv- ered by volunteers to their homes.
“The number of meals deliv- ered was up, and a new record,” said Pandora, 89, of Brownfield, Maine, a Navy veteran and past American Legion Post 95 com- mander.
His Post 95 assistant and orga- nizer-in-training, Steve Robinson, 57 — who like Pandora is a Navy veteran — said the event went off without a hitch.
“We were there on Tuesday prepping, and again on Wednes- day, arriving on Christmas at about 8 a.m. to get the meals
THE CONWAY DAILY SUN
CONWAY — Attendance was off from last year’s total of 301 and the record of 306 diners set in 2015, but there was no shortage of holiday cheer, camaraderie and great food at Wednesday’s Ameri- can Legion Post 95 Christmas Day feast, with about 175 guests served at the annual dinner — including Santa Claus himself.
The feast was presented at noon by Post 95 of North Conway with the help of volunteers at the Conway Congregational Church.
Although attendance at the actual meal was off, organizer John Pandora of Post 95 said that more than 100 meals were deliv- ered by volunteers to their homes.
“The number of meals deliv- ered was up, and a new record,” said Pandora, 89, of Brownfield, Maine, a Navy veteran and past American Legion Post 95 com- mander.
His Post 95 assistant and orga- nizer-in-training, Steve Robinson, 57 — who like Pandora is a Navy veteran — said the event went off without a hitch.
“We were there on Tuesday prepping, and again on Wednes- day, arriving on Christmas at about 8 a.m. to get the meals
ready for the 15 volunteer take- out delivery drivers to depart by 11:30 a.m. and to begin serving the meal at noon,” said Robinson, who is being groomed to take over from Pandora next year, as Pan- dora says he is “pushing 90 and it’s time for someone else to take over.” Pandora says he will still be volunteering his time, just not as the coordinator of the effort that he first helped organize in 1982.
Pandora said this year’s feast involved cooking 100 pounds of mashed potatoes; 12 turkeys that were donated at last month’s annual Vaughan Community Ser- vice/Mt. Washington Radio Food Drive; 20 pounds of peas and corn; 40 pounds of onions; stuffing and a “couple of gallons” of cranberry sauce.
And, of course, gravy — lots of gravy.
It was followed by dessert and coffee.
Several community members, as well as Legion Post 95 mem- bers, donated gifts as part of the program, Pandora and Robinson noted.
There were a few children and young families but most of the attendees appeared to be older citizens who appreciated not having to cook a big meal just for themselves, Pandora said.
Pandora said this year’s feast involved cooking 100 pounds of mashed potatoes; 12 turkeys that were donated at last month’s annual Vaughan Community Ser- vice/Mt. Washington Radio Food Drive; 20 pounds of peas and corn; 40 pounds of onions; stuffing and a “couple of gallons” of cranberry sauce.
And, of course, gravy — lots of gravy.
It was followed by dessert and coffee.
Several community members, as well as Legion Post 95 mem- bers, donated gifts as part of the program, Pandora and Robinson noted.
There were a few children and young families but most of the attendees appeared to be older citizens who appreciated not having to cook a big meal just for themselves, Pandora said.
The role of Santa was portrayed at the dinner by Post 95 member Jim Gallagher of Conway, who also has that role for the Believe in Books Literacy Foun- dation’s “Journey to the North Pole.”
Pandora said he started the community Christ- mas meal tradition after seeing a television segment on the news about a successful businessman in the Midwest who wanted to give back to his community by throwing a community Christmas dinner.
“I thought it was a good idea,” said Pandora, “so I went and presented it one night to the Legion (Post 95), and they thought I was crazy, not knowing what to expect. But it took off from there and we’ve been doing it ever since.”This was Robinson’s seventh year of being involved with the dinner.He said he looks forward to keeping the tradition going next year, and invites those interested in serv- ing as volunteers to give him a call at his Brown- field, Maine, home at (207) 615-2317.
“It’s a great tradition, and I’m very proud to be part of it. John (Pandora) will still be involved, but I will be taking the helm, and we welcome the com- munity to help.”
Pandora said he started the community Christ- mas meal tradition after seeing a television segment on the news about a successful businessman in the Midwest who wanted to give back to his community by throwing a community Christmas dinner.
“I thought it was a good idea,” said Pandora, “so I went and presented it one night to the Legion (Post 95), and they thought I was crazy, not knowing what to expect. But it took off from there and we’ve been doing it ever since.”This was Robinson’s seventh year of being involved with the dinner.He said he looks forward to keeping the tradition going next year, and invites those interested in serv- ing as volunteers to give him a call at his Brown- field, Maine, home at (207) 615-2317.
“It’s a great tradition, and I’m very proud to be part of it. John (Pandora) will still be involved, but I will be taking the helm, and we welcome the com- munity to help.”
The Legion introduced a resolution in October 2018 that called for Congress to direct the Department of Veterans Affairs to consider all veterans who served honorably since the start of World War II, in 1941, as “war-time veterans.”
