Name: Grafton Area Thanksgiving Dinner
Start: 2025-11-27T14:00:00-06:00
Location: Drifters' Eats & Drinks

This Thanksgiving Day, it’s truly time to come together as a community.
In the spirit of gratitude and fellowship, several local businesses and volunteers have banded together to host a Grafton Area Community Thanksgiving Dinner. This is more than just a meal, it's a heartfelt, family-style get-together designed to bring our community closer, ensuring that no one feels isolated or without a feast this holiday season.
We want to invite everyone to join us. Whether you're feeling the pinch this season, you'll be spending the day alone, or you simply want to celebrate the strength of our community; our table is open to you, free of charge.
🍽️ The Feast Details
This will be a genuine meal featuring all the Thanksgiving fixings you could dream of:
The Menu: Multiple turkeys, mashed potatoes and gravy, cornbread, green bean casserole, corn casserole, sweet potato casserole, mac-n-cheese, stuffing, cold sides, deviled eggs, a plentiful spread of desserts, and more....
Location: Drifter's Eats &
Drinks has graciously offered their entire event space for the day, and their smokers for our use!)
Doors Open: 2:00 PM
Dinner Served: 4:00 PM - 6:00 PM
Come for the incredible food, stay for the fellowship, and leave with a renewed sense of community! There will even be bartenders on staff to make this a true community get-together. (alcohol available for purchase.)
🌟 Special Invitation to Our Heroes
We want to express our deepest gratitude to those who serve and protect us every day. We warmly encourage all local First Responders to please stop by and enjoy a warm, free meal on Thanksgiving Day.
📦 We’re Thinking of Everyone: To-Go Plates Available!
We want everyone to feel the warmth of our community, even if they can't make it to the dinner. To-Go Plates will be available for those who cannot leave their homes. Please stop by to pick up a plate for a neighbor, friend, or loved one. We do ask that you hold on to pick up to-go plates until after 5:00 PM if possible, however no one will be turned away.
❤️ Brought to You By Our Loving Community
This incredible effort has been made possible by an outpouring of support from local businesses and individuals. When the idea was first mentioned, we were immediately blown away by the generous response.
The main participating organizations include:
Enjoy Grafton, Illinois
Bollinger Services
J. Weller Removal and Junk
McKee Land Management
...and many more personal and business donations! We will be making a point to recognize every generous donor.
🤝 Get Involved! Donate or Volunteer
It takes a village to put on a feast of this size, and we would love to have you join us! There are many ways to get involved and show your love for Jersey County:
Volunteer: We need help with serving, setup, and cleanup.
Prepare Food: Volunteers (including Courtney Bollinger and others) will be on-site early that morning for food drop-offs.
Supply Donations: We are collecting supplies such as paper products (plates, napkins, utensils, etc.).
Cash Donations: Donations are gratefully accepted and help cover costs.
Venmo: Use the QR Code on the flyer to send a donation via Venmo.
Direct Donation: Make a cash donation directly to Courtney Bollinger. If you are a business requiring a tax receipt, Courtney will be happy to provide one.
Do you know a local musician who doesn't have plans for the day and would be interested in a jam session to add to the festive atmosphere? Have them get in touch with us!
Please share this invitation with all your friends, family, and neighbors. We can't wait to come together with you all to celebrate the humanity and strong community we have right here!