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WILKES-BARRE — For some, Thanksgiving means a trip to dine with family and friends as part of a decades-old tradition.
Others, however, are creating a new tradition that means not having to cook the meal or do the dishes — they either have the meal brought to them or they go out for dinner.
In the Wyoming Valley, several nonprofit agencies and local churches will serve Thanksgiving meals on Thursday.
The Forty Fort United Methodist Church will serve a Thanksgiving meal starting at noon. The meal will feature turkey, along with all of the trimmings of a traditional Thanksgiving dinner.
The meal is free and transportation will be provided for residents on the West Side, if needed. Reservations may be made by calling the church office at 570-287-3840.
The Commission on Economic Opportunity (CEO) will hold a traditional Thanksgiving-style dinner from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Annunciation Church Hall, formerly known as St. Gabriel’s Church Hall, 122 S. Wyoming St., in Hazleton. All community members are welcome and no registration is required.
CEO will distribute hot meals from 8 to 11 a.m. from the First Presbyterian Church in Wilkes-Barre.
Local establishments
Local restaurants will offer Thanksgiving feasts with all the trimmings and no hassle of cooking or clean up.
The Timbers Buffet Mohegan Sun at Pocono Downs will offer a full Thanksgiving buffet from 11 a.m. until 8 p.m. Robyn Ryan, vice president of marketing, said about 1,500 guests are expected at the buffet. She added that number is higher than last year and the visitor count continues to grow since a hotel opened on the property in 2013.
“We see guests for a variety of reasons — staying in the hotel, looking for the wide variety of options that Timbers Buffet offers without all the preparation and clean up or looking to add entertainment options to extend their Thanksgiving day,” she said.
Nearby, the Woodlands Inn will have its own Thanksgiving buffet where food and beverage coordinator Mitch Kornfeld expects around 350 people. That buffet will feature the usual Thanksgiving staples, as well as crab-stuffed flounder and slow-roasted sliced New York strip loin.
An assortment of holiday sweets, cakes and pies will be available for dessert, along with a chocolate fountain. Reservations may be made by calling 570-824-9831.
The Genetti Hotel in Wilkes-Barre will have a similar buffet from 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Reservations are required and may be made by calling 570-825-6477.
