The 2016 Henry Sonnenberg Christmas Dinner was a great success, despite the fact that attendance was down a bit from last year, a spokesman says.
About 15 volunteers -- including many from co-sponsors the Royal Canadian Legion Branch 105 and the Olds Lions Club -- staged the event at the Legion Hall on Christmas Day from 11:30 a.m. to about 3 p.m.
Olds Lions Club president Alan Prevost says about 170 people came out, down from about 190 last year.
"The weather was a little off," he says.
Otherwise, "everything went wonderfully well," he adds.
This is the second straight year the Olds Lions Club and legion volunteers have teamed up to organize and co-sponsor the dinner.
Prevost is impressed with the effort volunteers undergo to make the dinner happen.
"They put in a lot of labour," he says. "They show up on the day before to peel potatoes and set up tables, etc., etc. And then (they) come in on the 25th from 11 to 3:30 to finish it off."
Until last year, for nearly 30 years, Henry Sonnenberg, who operated Olds Bakery and Catering on 50th Avenue, was a prime organizer of the Christmas dinner before stepping aside, although he remained as a volunteer.
Sonnenberg began cooking and organizing Christmas Day suppers after noticing many people in the community had no place to go for a traditional meal on Dec. 25.
Over time, the dinner was moved to the Recreation Center and the Evergreen Centre, before being moved again to the Legion Hall.
Last year, Sonnenberg was presented with a gift in appreciation for all he did to make the supper happen for so many years.
"(Volunteers) put in a lot of labour. They show up on the day before to peel potatoes and set up tables, etc., etc. And then (they) come in on the 25th from 11 to 3:30 to finish it off."ALAN PREVOSTPRESIDENT OLDS LIONS CLUB
