The Community Christmas Dinner is open to all. There is no charge for the meal, but freewill offerings are welcome. Meal deliveries must be ordered in advance. The deadline is noon on Friday, Dec. 23.
A curbside Christmas dinner serves 700-800
The annual holiday meal at the American Legion was served a bit differently this year, due to COVID-19. 6:30 am, Dec. 30, 2020 ×
Brennan Snow volunteered to distribute curbside meals at the Park Rapids American Legion on Christmas Day. (Shannon Geisen/Enterprise)
The 32nd annual Community Christmas Dinner successfully delivered hot, delicious meals, despite procedural changes brought on by COVID-19.
Sara Gallus and Lori Cannon are co-organizers of the Christmas Day feast, served at the Park Rapids American Legion under the guidance of longtime co-chairs Dennis Anderson and Lynn Spilman.
This year, meals were ordered in advance since there was no in-person dining.
Local business owners respond to ongoing restrictions due to the COVID-19 pandemic. 8:16 am, Dec. 28, 2020 ×
Special to The Forum
Gov. Tim Walz’s Executive Order 20-99 continues to set a tone for restaurants and bars in the Park Rapids area.
Put in place on Nov. 19, the order tightened restrictions on the hospitality industry, limiting bars and restaurants to carry-out, curbside service and delivery.
It was the second such hit to eating and drinking businesses since the state started taking emergency measures against the COVID-19 pandemic in March.
‘We’ll hang in there’
“We’re doing takeout at this time,” said Julie Sauer, owner of Lobo s Bar & Grille at Lake Itasca. “There’s not a lot of takeout, out in the country, out here. A little bit.”