Work doesn’t stop during holidays

Not everyone has the luxury of having Thanksgiving off.

Finishing a busy 6 a.m. to 2 p.m. waitress shift at Cook’s truck stop, Patsy Downing was sitting down for a Thanksgiving meal at the 24-hour restaurant on U.S. 60/84 that caters to truck drivers and locals.

“Today was a nice day, so I do not mind working,” said Downing, who is single. “A lot of the people that ate here today are Clovis locals that I know. Besides, this is my family here.”

Ina Carey and Nancy Sammons also worked the 6 a.m. to 2 p.m. shift at Cook’s.

“It’s not so bad because I get off early enough to spend time with my family, and I get to spend time with my work family,” Carey said, “plus I love my job.”

“I love to work holiday’s,” Sammons said.” I have worked them all my life and I enjoy them.”

Mike Nolan who is a Lieutenant at the Clovis fire station was working away from his wife and three children this thanksgiving. All of the substations met for a thanksgiving lunch at station one earlier in the day.

“It’s got to be done so I am here for it,” said Nolan.

Sammons didn’t mind at all.

Dewayne Medders a Wal-Mart trucker from Amarillo, was passing through Clovis on his way to Gallup and decided to stop and eat at Cook’s.

“There are not a lot of places between here and Albuquerque to eat, and I have eaten at Cook’s before and they have good food,” Medders said. “It’s no big deal to me, it never has been. Christmas is more important for me to get into.”

Syliva Garcia was working at convenience store in Portales.

“It does not bother me to be working. There is nothing important to me about the holiday,” Garcia said. "When I get home I can spend as much time as I want to with my son.”

Meanwhile, Clovis convenience store employee Sammy Lopez viewed a holiday shift as an opportunity to earn a little extra money.

“I do not really mind," said Lopez. “It gives me an opportunity to get time and a half and overtime,” Lopez said. " I could understand how it could be sorry if I had family here to spend the holiday with, but I do not, so it works out,” he added.