Community ball, turkey dinner being served up in November

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Devany Stone, front, and Carol Stedman whip up thepots of gravy for the lunch meal at the 2013 Turkey Dinner and Bazaar at First United Methodist Church in Portales. The church is hoping to exceed the 2,002 guests the event had last year during Thursday’s Turkey Dinner.

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November is quickly shaping up to be a month full of entertainment and food for Portales and Clovis area residents.

First United Methodist Church in Portales will kick off the month Thursday with its 61st annual turkey dinner.

Traditional turkey dinners will be served for lunch from 11 a.m. until 1:30 p.m. and for dinner from 5 p.m. until 7:30 p.m. Thursday, according to First United Methodist office manager Gerri Bradsher.

Bradsher said the turkey dinner brought 2,002 visitors last year, with people coming from as far away as Melrose and Roswell.

The church hopes to exceed last year’s number of visitors this year, Bradsher said.

“The turkey dinner is a great time for fellowship and for people to visit with people they don’t get to see often,” Bradsher said.

Bradsher said the church members who help cook the meal have become a “fine-tuned machine” and are prepared to cook turkey, dressing, gravy, and bread for more than 2,000 guests.

“Everyone that cooks has a blast and it’s a chance for everyone to have fellowship with one another,” Bradsher said.

Bradsher said plates are $8 per person and all proceeds from the turkey dinner will go toward the Methodist Church’s missions.

For those seeking entertainment that’s for a good cause the sixth annual Community Charity Ball will be held Nov. 22 at the Hotel Clovis.

The ball is $75 a ticket and will feature the Brickstreet Players Community Theatre.

Tickets can be purchased through the Curry County Chamber of Commerce.

Community Charity Ball chair Gayla Brumfield said the masquerade themed ball starts at 6:30 p.m. and will have silent and live auctions throughout the night.

Brumfield said auction items include trips, gift baskets, and prize packages. Proceeds from the event will go to the High Plains Humane Society, Clovis MainStreet, and the Life Saver Food Bank.

“The ball brings entertainment to the community and brings people together,” Brumfield said, “and the money goes to help different organizations in the community.”

The ticket price includes a prime rib steak dinner and a drink, according to Brumfield.

The Clovis Joint Veteran’s Council will hold its annual Veteran’s Week Nov. 10 through the 15th.

Curry County Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Ernie Kos said area veterans' posts will have open houses throughout the week and a Veteran’s Parade will be held 10 a.m. Nov. 15 on Main Street.

“Veterans week is a great opportunity to honor local vets and bring recognition to their organizations,” Kos said.

The Roosevelt County Chamber of Commerce has several events lined up in November.

The Chamber has teamed up with the Eastern Plains Council of Governments to bring the Fall Job Fair to Eastern New Mexico University’s Greyhound Arena.

The job fair will be held 3 p.m. until 7 p.m. on Wednesday.

Roosevelt Chamber director Karl Terry said the job fair is an opportunity for military spouses and college students to look for jobs at businesses in the Clovis and Portales area.

Terry said the Chamber will also have its monthly music series at the YAM Theater on Main.

The series will host local band Speed Limit on Nov. 20.

Portales MainStreet director Jan Elliot said the band plays southwestern blues and rock.

Admission is $5 at the door.