Nell stepped up to the bat, figuratively, and hit a homerun!! I’m sure you know the old poem, Casey at the Bat by Ernest Thayer from 1888. “Oh, somewhere in this favored land the sun is shining bright; the band is playing somewhere, and somewhere hearts are light, and somewhere men are laughing, and somewhere children shout; but there is no joy in Mudville — mighty Casey has struck out.” Happy Camp was feeling kind of glum, but not from a ball game.

Many years ago, Muriel Ward-Frederickson’s family, which was a large family with ten children, had a wonderful gathering for Thanksgiving each year. One year Mooch, as she is fondly called, asked Chuck who lived at the Alice Dunaway House, what he had for Thanksgiving. Chuck said,” nothing special,” the restaurants weren’t open and Dunaway House roomers didn’t have cooking facilities.

Since they’d be cooking a big dinner anyway, Mooch went to work and the first dinner was Holiday dinner prospects
Christmas Dinner, probably at the gym, but maybe the Grange. They received donations, vendor and people volunteered to make the Community Holiday Dinner available to all who wouldn’t otherwise have a special dinner for the holidays. When Mooch retired the Happy Camp Family Resource Center began to hold them about 2003. Last year our Family Resource Center closed, so we expected there would also be an end to the Holiday Dinners. Like Mudville, when Casey struck out, this was a sad turn of events lamented by many.

But then, with only three days to the event, or shall I say, non-event, Nell Sakota stepped up to bat! She was helped along with a donation to the Thanksgiving Holiday dinner by the Karuk Tribe and place to have it in the Karuk gym. She put up a poster with Charlie Brown, and went grocery shopping. Donations of desserts began to arrive!

Thanksgiving Dinner this Year
All the criminals passing through Highway 96 behaved, so Deputy Garrison and the CHP Officer Monday helped out. Bamboo brought the beautiful orange flowers and ferns for the table and then started washing dishes. Yukon welcomed arrivals, signed people in and made sure they had tableware. Nell and Molly Sakota dished up turkey and all the trimmings. It was a very delicious meal!

LaVine brought around a cart of desserts, pumpkin pie, cream pies and all sorts of delicious desserts.

Several of the Veterans who meet at the Happy Camp Community Center Wednesdays at 10 for a coffee or social time were there.

Terry and Roberta Everett were planning to be there, and they were and enjoyed the holiday with grandkids too! Their grandson, Joe Everett, who is in the Air Force in Germany, had a big surprise, he got Leave and came all the way from Germany! He had already surprised his mother, Cari, at the spa where she works in Redding. So the whole family experienced the glad surprise of a serviceman home for the holiday!

Even though the sun wasn’t shining, and the rain was coming down, smiles and glad “Happy Thanksgiving” were heard all around. Outside the door several dogs and a horse awaited their partners who were inside enjoying the dinner, until at last they emerged with a warm glow and happy countenance after a wonderful Thanksgiving meal.